


My Mr. Turtle

by Andrea_ODown



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-02-09 17:04:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 71
Words: 161,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1990806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andrea_ODown/pseuds/Andrea_ODown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Madelyn Dearing is a little girl with a vivid imagination. So making up an imaginery friend isn't so unusual for her. But the thing is she just can't stop talking about her Mr. Turtle.<br/>This story follows the little girl Leo has tea with in "Slash and Destroy".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Madelyn

Madelyn Dearing was one lucky girl. She had all these neat little dresses to wear, a room full of dolls, stuffed animals, and other toys after a little girl's fancy, and a father that would do anything to see his little darling happy.

That was on the outside, though. If anyone dug any deeper he might have realized that all these fancy things Madelyn owned were just some sort of a distraction to let her forget about the one thing that was missing in her life – a mother.

Madelyn had lost her mother in a car accident when she was two. She had nearly no memory of her. And in her father's opinion, that was a good thing. From this fateful day on he had tried his best to be both for his daughter – mother and father. And he thought he had been doing a good job. Madelyn was a cheerful little girl, nice and polite. Yes, she could be stubborn from time to time, but which little girl wasn't? So all in all, Mr. Dearing was very proud of his little girl.

But an event some weeks ago had shown how easily he could lose her. That night something had torn two holes into the apartment building, both awfully close to his little girl. The official explanation was that there had been two explosions, although neither the fire workers nor the police had been able to find any explosive charges. But it was the most logical explanation after all, so Mr. Dearing had decided to go with it.

He still wasn't able to put together all pieces. All he knew was that he had fallen asleep over the newspaper. Being a single father was a full-time job, and he adored it, but from time to time it really was fatiguing. And while he would wake and look after his daughter at the slightest scream of her, any other thing would barely make him open his eyes. He was a sound sleeper.

So he remembered that he had heard something that night, some sort of a deep grumbling that had reached his ear, and he had half-asleep opened an eye, but whatever it was hadn't woken him completely. It was the second grumbling that made him jump to his feet. That sound had been too close, he had felt the building shaking, and with a fearful look on his face he raced over to his daughter's room, nearly busting in the door. But what he had seen had left him stand rooted to the spot. The door handle still in his hand he just stood in the doorway, blinking a few times. There was a huge hole in the ceiling of his daughter's room and one in the wall. And in the middle of the room was his daughter, sitting at her small table and having a tea party with some of her dolls and stuffed animals.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she said casually while raising one of the tiny plastic-tea cups to her lips. "But you just missed Mr. Turtle."

_Mr. Turtle…_

His daughter had kept talking about this Mr. Turtle ever since that night. He had been worried at first, but given the fact that she had gone through a lot, that she could have gotten killed, making up an imaginary friend that could protect her only seemed self-evident.

He had talked to one of her teachers about this and they had agreed that this must be some sort of a protective mechanism to give Madelyn a feeling of safety, to prevent her from having to think about that she could have died that night.

Though her constant Mr. Turtle-talk was going to his nerves, Mr. Dearing was happy it kept her from thinking about what really had happened. Madelyn had undergone a lot in her young life, so not remembering bad things was good. That was what he told himself when she again came up with another Mr. Turtle-story.

 _Let her talk_ , he thought. _It's good if she doesn't remember the explosions and…other things._

So he always forced a smile and nodded to her explanations of Mr. Turtle not having a pinkie and so on.

His little girl had been so brave, so he really owed her at least trying to pay attention.

When they had to move to an emergency accommodation because due to the explosions their former home building had gotten so unstable it needed to be rebuilt, all Madelyn had been complaining about was how Mr. Turtle should find her for their tea-party if they moved. She didn't complain about their temporary home although it was so much smaller than their usual apartment. It only consisted of a kitchen-cum-living-room and a cabinet. While Mr. Dearing slept on the sofa bed, the cabinet served as Madelyn's room. It was so small that now every inch of it was covered with her toys – except for the bed, that was. Opening the door really was a challenge, not to think of the hurdles race Mr. Dearing had to master when he had to make his way to his daughter's bed to wake her up in the morning.

But Madelyn didn't complain about that. She was having her tea-parties with her dolls and stuffed animals, doing her home-work on the kitchen table and still seemed like the happy girl she has always been.

The only thing that made Mr. Dearing sad was having to watch her standing at the small window of the cabinet with her plastic tea pot next to her on the windowsill and watching outside.

And tonight was no exception. Carefully, Mr. Dearing opened the door, shifting some of Madelyn's toys aside while doing so.

He choked a sigh when he saw Madelyn standing at the window again. With a frown he went over to her, going around her toys on the floor.

"Hi, Lynnie," he said, using the nickname he had given her when he had first held her in his arms, a nickname only he was allowed to use. "What are you doing?"

Mr. Dearing gave a sigh of relief when he managed to reach the window without stepping on one of the toys. Madelyn hadn't put her eyes away from the night-sky.

"I'm waiting for Mr. Turtle," she answered. "Maybe he will pass and if he sees me here with my teapot, he'd come here."

A few minutes passed until she spoke up again. "When are we going home, Daddy? Mr. Turtle doesn't seem to find me here. He is worried. We need to go home, Daddy. Mr. Turtle is waiting for his tea."

Mr. Dearing placed a reassuring hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Soon, my dear," he said calmly.

Madelyn sighed.

Mr. Dearing thought for a moment, wracking his brain for something to cheer his daughter up, and when he finally had an idea his face brightened up.

"But you are forgetting one very important thing, Lynnie," he said with a smile.

Madelyn turned to face him with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Your daddy is waiting for his tea, too," Mr. Dearing said with a smile. "So what do you think? Shall we have tea-party?"

Madelyn nodded eagerly, taking the teapot in one hand as her father picked her up and carried her out of her room and into the kitchen which really was difficult as he had to go around all her toys again, but he managed. He set her down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

Madelyn put the plastic teapot in front of her.

"Daddy, we forgot about the cups!" she said surprised.

"No, we haven't," her father responded with a smile, "because tonight we are using the good china." And with a chuckle he put the big china teapot and two cups out of the kitchen unit and placed them on the table.  
  
Madelyn clapped her hands in excitement.

* * *

Leo was standing on a rooftop, looking over to the building where he and the little girl had had a tea party. There was scaffolding put up around the house. The mutant turtle sighed. The building was still dark, and it meant it still wasn't habitable.  
  
Ever since the Slash-incident Leo hadcome here to check if the little girl was back. He didn't tell his brothers, though. They avoided this area during their patrols – officially due to the fact that Slash could still be around here somewhere and they weren't ready to face him yet. This was an excuse, and a pretty lame one, they all were aware of that. Slash knew where they lived, so avoiding this area wasn't really helping. Truth was that they wanted to keep Raph from having to meet his former pet turtle. Raph would never admit it but he was hurting because of what had happened. Partly because he thought that Slash attacking and nearly wiping out his brothers was his fault and partly because he had lost his beloved pet, his little buddy. Raph was thankful for the excuse, though, even if it was a lame one. So Leo and his brothers stuck to it.  
  
But Leo had come back here from time to time to check on the building. After all, he had promised the little girl that he would visit her again. The first time after the fight with Slash he had been able to sneak away from his brothers, he had been somehow surprised to find the building empty. But on the other hand it was only logical that the building had to go through some major re-construction after what Slash and Raph – mostly Slash – had done to it.  
  
But it had made Leo sad nonetheless. He had to admit it, spending time with the little girl had been fun. She was the first human in a long time that hadn't freaked out when seeing him or tried to kill him or turned out to be some crazy stalker.  
  
And after what he and his brothers had gone through the last months he really had been looking forward to spend some time with her again.  
  
He lowered his eyes. Though there was some construction progress visible, it didn't look like the building would be habitable soon. Sure, he could ask Donnie to use his hacking skills to find out where the little girl and her father had moved to, but somehow Leo didn't want to do that. He didn't want his brothers to find out how important the girl was to him and so he kept her a secret as good as he could. Sure, Raph had told Mikey and Donnie about Leo having tea-time, and they had made fun of him. But Leo hadn't showed them how much he actually cared and so the teasing had stopped eventually.  
  
Leo didn't know why he was so possessive of her, but he just didn't want to share her with his brothers. Maybe he saw her as some sort of a refuge, something he had looked for for a long time, something he had hoped for whenever he was on the verge of breaking down under the pressure of trying to be the best leader for his brothers.  
  
But as it looked right now, he wouldn't be able to see her soon. And he was sure that the more time passed the more likely it was the little girl would forget about him. After all, she had a vivid imagination. So why should she stick to some imaginary Mr. Turtle when she could think of a beautiful unicorn instead?  
  
This thought always gave his a twinge.  
  
He tried to convince himself that it would be best for her to forget about him. Knowing him could be dangerous, and putting her into danger was the last thing he wanted. He said that to himself whenever his hope of seeing light in her room faded.  
  
It didn't work, though. He still wanted to see her again, he still hoped he could spend a nice evening with her, forget about his responsibility, just being Mr. Turtle for one evening.  
  
With another sigh he turned to leave.  
  
Yes, she probably had forgotten about him right now, replaced him with some pink, sparkling unicorn.  
  
 _Oh, Mr. Turtle, you have no idea…_


	2. Dear Mr. Turtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn writes a letter to her Mr. Turtle.

Climbing the steps of the subway station in seconds Mr. Dearing rushed over to the school building. He had promised to pick up Madelyn from the after school-care sooner today because they wanted to go to the movie and watch this new animated movie about the unicorn-princess, but he had literally been drowning in work today and had left the office even later than usual.

He leaped the staircase to the entrance in two jumps and hastened to where the after school-care rooms were. When he turned around the corner he changed to a slower pace. There was this common rule about not running in school's corridors, and first, he didn't want to be a bad role model for the children, and second, who said that despite his age he couldn't still get yelled at by some random teacher for running in the corridor? And that would be way too embarrassing.

So when he reached the room where he knew his daughter was waiting for him in a swift pace, he was still gasping for air after all this running. But when he set eyes on the teacher who was in charge of the after school-care today, he knew he wouldn't get to her anytime soon.  
  
He nodded at the teacher in greeting, hoping against better knowledge she would just let him pass.  
  
"Mr. Dearing," the teacher said matter-of-factly. "May I have a word with you?"  
  
Mr. Dearing choked a sigh and nodded. He glanced over the teacher's shoulder into the room and caught sight of his daughter sitting at a table and drawing, but Madelyn didn't look up. Then the teacher closed the door and joined Mr. Dearing in the corridor.  
  
"Mr. Dearing," the teacher went on, "I know Madelyn has been going through a lot lately. And I do understand that her constant talk about her imaginary friend is her way of coping with the situation, but the other kids are starting to avoid her. And when I realized that, I thought something needs to be done."  
  
"And what would that be?" Mr. Dearing asked.  
  
"Maybe you should talk to her that her imaginary friend is great and all, but that there are other great things happening in her life. Or you could take her to a child's therapist. If you need any contact details, there are a few therapists I can recommend."  
  
Mr. Dearing's eyes widened when the teacher mentioned a therapist. This was the last thing he wanted. A therapist could make Madelyn remember how dangerous it had been back then, and he wanted to spare his daughter these scary memories.  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Stenson," he finally said. "I will think of something."  
  
He glanced at his watch. It was too late for the cinema now, so he had to think of something else to entertain his daughter anyway. He decided they would walk the way back to their apartment, or emergency accommodation, to be precise. Maybe an idea to make his daughter think of anything else than Mr. Turtle would pop up on their way.  
  
With a nod he passed the teacher, opened the door and went over to his daughter.  
  
Madelyn still didn't look away from her drawing.  
  
"Hey, Madelyn," Mr. Dearing said with a smile as he crouched down next to her.  
  
"Hey, Daddy!" Madelyn lifted her head and beamed at him for a second before turning back to her drawing.  
  
"What are you doing?" her father asked and glanced over her shoulder. He choked the second sigh that day when he realized the picture showed two green figures, both with a very round body and quite big heads, but one with a red line over its eyes and one with a blue one, and a much bigger blue figure with fangs.  
  
"I am drawing a picture for Mr. Turtle," Madelyn explained. "See, this is Mr. Turtle." She pointed to the green figure with the blue line. "And this is Mr. Red, Mr. Turtle's best friend." Her finger moved to the one with the red line. "And this is Mr. Bad Guy, Mr. Turtle's enemy." She pointed at the blue figure now. "But it is not finished yet."  
  
"So, do you think you can finish the picture at home?" Mr. Dearing asked. "We are too late for the cinema anyway – I'm sorry for that, dear. We will go tomorrow, okay? – But now you have enough time to finish your picture while I prepare dinner. What do you think?"  
  
"That's a great idea, Daddy!" Madelyn clapped her hands in joy. "So if Mr. Turtle finds me tonight, I can give him his picture right away."  
  
"That's my girl," Mr. Dearing said as he stroked her head. "Always looking at the bright side."  
  
Madelyn beamed at her father again and then got up, picture in hand, and walked over to where her schoolbag was. She carefully stashed the picture and then slung the bag over her shoulders. She walked back to her father who reached out for her and she smilingly took his hand.  
  
When they left the room Mr. Dearing did his best to ignore the glances all the other kids were flashing his daughter. But he failed miserably. They looked at his daughter in some sort of dislike, and when Madelyn waved at her friends cheerfully and said good-bye, the waves she got in response were rather half-hearted.  
  
Mr. Dearing bit his lip when he saw that. Madelyn on the other hand didn't seem to notice or care.

* * *

Father and daughter were walking down the street, holding hands and chatting. Well, Madelyn did most of the talking, her father was just listening, giving his daughter's hand a reassuring squeeze from time to time.  
  
When they turned around a corner, Mr. Dearing's eyes fell on a window dressing. It was a stationery shop. The man let his eyes wander over the letter paper in all colors and with all kind of ornaments that was shown. An idea formed in his head, causing a little smile to appear on his face.

* * *

Later that evening – Mr. Dearing was nearly finished with preparing the dinner – Madelyn came into the kitchen. She held a pink envelop in her hand – one from the letter paper set she had chosen earlier that evening. Her father had chuckled slightly, when she had decided to take the pink set right after they had entered the shop. Sometimes his little girl was so predictable.  
  
"Are you done with writing your letter, Lynnie?" he asked.  
  
With a nod Madelyn placed the envelope on the kitchen table.  
  
Mr. Dearing glanced over his shoulder as he took a pot from the hotplate.  
  
 _Already sealed_ , he thought. Well, that shouldn't trouble his plans at all.  
  
"And what did you write Mr. Turtle?" he asked further.  
  
"Daddy!" Madelyn's voice had a dispraising ring to it. "That's for Mr. Turtle only!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry, Lynnie."  
  
Madelyn climbed one of the chairs, looking at the letter with a questioning look in her eyes.  
  
"Are you sure the people at the post office know where Mr. Turtle lives?"  
  
"Lynnie, they are working at a post office. Addresses are their job. I'm sure they know his as well."  
  
"Okay." Madelyn didn't sound totally convinced, but she smiled at her father.  
  
Mr. Dearing returned the smile.  
  
"Now, who's in for spaghetti?" he asked blithefully.  
  
"Mememememememe!" Madelyn cheered, bouncing up and down on her chair.

* * *

With a smile on his face Mr. Dearing left the apartment building. Madelyn had insisted that he brought her letter to the post office right after dinner. He didn't like to leave her alone, but when Madelyn had given him her puppy-eyes-look, he simply couldn't do anything, but do as she wished. So he had popped a DVD of Madelyn's favorite cartoon show into the player and extracted the promise from her that she wouldn't open the door to any strangers and wait in the living room until he returned.

He knew he didn't really have to go to the post office. A little walk around the block for around fifteen minutes should do the trick. He would return to the apartment later, telling Madelyn that he had been successful, and then tomorrow during his lunch break write a response to Madelyn's letter. Sure, he would have to change his handwriting, but he was sure he could handle it. Maybe being able to correspond with her Mr. Turtle would make her talk less about him and so the other kids would talk and play with her again.

Mr. Dearing thought about his plan once more, and yes, he was sure it was a good plan. But since he didn't have anything better to do, maybe he could read the letter while he did his little walk.

He dug into the pocket of his jacket, retrieving Madelyn's letter. He looked at the envelop where Madelyn had written "To Mr. Turtle" down in her spidery handwriting.

But that moment a gust of wind yanked the letter out of his hand.

"Oh no!" Mr. Dearing cried out, running after the letter which was drifting away from him in some sort of crazy dance, driven by the wind.

Mr. Dearing did his best to catch the letter again. He saw it being driven around the corner of a building into a side street. He sprinted after it, nearly overbalancing at the turn. But when he had sprinted down the side street a few steps, he stopped abruptly. He looked around him, scanning his surroundings for the pink envelope. It would stick out of the predominant gray and brown of the side street, even in the street lighting. But there wasn't anything but gray and brown.

A frustrated growl escaped his mouth as he realized he had lost the letter, and he kicked a waste container before he left the side street again.  
What on earth should he do now?

* * *

Leo had just lifted the manhole cover and glanced around when a piece of paper hit his face, staying wrapped over his eyes as if it was glued there. With a grunt he wanted to brush it aside when he heard footsteps. Instinctively, he moved his head back and let the manhole cover slip back in place. With an annoyed gesture he grabbed the piece of paper, pushed himself off the ladder and landed on the ground.  
  
He looked back up, hoping to hear retrieving footsteps soon.  
  
While waiting, he realized he was still holding the piece of paper which now that he looked at it, turned out to be a letter. In lack of something better to do, leaning there against the brick wall of the sewers' tunnel, he moved the envelope closer to his eyes so that he could examine it more closely. The dim light falling through the manhole cover above fell on the letter and he could read which addressee was written down on the envelope.  
  
His eyes widened in surprise and he thanked fate that he hadn't just thrown it away.  
  
He shifted a bit so that more light fell down on the envelope, but the words written down remained the same.  
  
 _To Mr. Turtle._  
  
When he read that he couldn't help, but smile. The awaited retrieving footsteps could be heard now, but Leo didn't seem to notice.  
  
He ripped the envelope open and took the letter out, unfolding the paper. And then he read what the sweet little darling had written to him.  
  
 _Dear Mr. Turtle,_  
  
 _I hope you are doing fine. My Daddy and me had to move to a new apartment after Mr. Red and Mr. Bad Guy broke our old one and it needs to be fixed now. But we move back soon._  
 _When will you visit me again? Tea parties aren't the same without you. Even Mrs. Sparkling Hair complaint that tea parties are boring without you, and you know how Mrs. Sparkling Hair is. When she admit it, it's true._  
 _I drew you a pic. I hope you like it._  
 _Is Mr. Red okay? Did Mr. Bad Guy hurt him?_  
 _I hope to hear from you soon._  
  
 _Yours,_  
 _Madelyn_  
  
Leo chuckled while reading. So the little girl had decided to name Raph Mr. Red and Slash Mr. Bad Guy. He wished he could tell his brother that he got a new name as well, but no, that was a bad idea. And he had absolutely no idea who Mrs. Sparkling Hair was, but he guessed it was one of Madelyn's dolls.  
  
He looked at the second piece of paper, the picture Madelyn had drawn of him, Raph and Slash made him chuckle.  
  
He then looked at the envelope again, checking for a return address, and yes, there it was, Miss Madelyn Dearing's new address.  
  
Leo really wished he could respond to this letter, but he couldn't just march into a post office and mail a letter. The smile on his face faded quickly when he realized that.  
  
But then his body straightened. Well, maybe he couldn't do that, but he knew someone who could. He just needed to let this someone in on his little secret. And he knew this someone was really good at keeping secrets and wouldn't make fun of him like his brothers surely would.  
  
The smile appeared back on his face when he started moving.

* * *

Later that night, April O'Neil opened the window to her room at the silent tapping of the mutant turtle waiting outside on the fire escape.  
  
The teenage girl greeted her friend with a questioning look in her eyes.  
  
"April," Leo said. "I think I need your help."


	3. A Letter from Mr. Turtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn receives a letter from Mr. Turtle.

With a sigh Mr. Dearing took his mail out of the mailbox. Two days had passed since he had lost Madelyn's letter and he had wracked his brain to find a solution. So far, he had told his little girl that the post office clerks hadn't been sure if they had Mr. Turtle's right address, but that they had promised to call him if they couldn't find Mr. Turtle. And tomorrow he would make one of his walks, telling Madelyn that he was going to the post office to ask if they had been able to deliver Mr. Turtle's letter. And then he would tell Madelyn that they had told him that they unfortunately had lost the letter. And then Madelyn would write a new letter and everything would be all right.

Yes, that would work. He was sure about that.

While climbing the stairs he looked through the letters. Bills, mostly, but one letter caught his eye. Its green envelope stood out of the other white ones, and he had a closer look.

His eyes widened when he realized that the letter was addressed to Madelyn. Mr. Dearing turned it around to check the return address. He raised a brow. He had never heard that name before. But well, it was Madelyn's letter. She would tell him what this was about.

When he opened the door to the apartment, Madelyn immediately ran up to him.

"Is there a letter for me, Daddy?" she asked cheerfully. "Is there, is there, is there?"

"Actually, there is," Mr. Dearing answered with a smile and handed her the letter.

"Hooray!" Madelyn cried out. She grasped the letter and ran over to the couch. She jumped on the couch so slaphappy, causing the springs to afterbounce for a while.

With a smile Madelyn yanked the letter open and read it.

Though her father was curious to find out what this letter was about, he decided to ask her later. He needed to prepare dinner anyway.

"Oh, it's from Mr. Turtle!" Madelyn cried out suddenly.

"It is?" Mr. Dearing said disbelievingly, nearly dropping the pot he had just taken out from the kitchen unit.

"Of course it is!" Madelyn said. "You brought my letter to the post office, remember? And now I got a reply. That's how letters work, Daddy!"

"You're…right," Mr. Dearing stammered.

"Daddy, how long until dinner is ready?"

"Half an hour, I guess," Mr. Dearing replied.

"Good, then I will start writing my reply now," Madelyn explained and got up. She grabbed the letter and the envelope and went to her room.

Mr. Dearing watched her leave. His eyes were still wide with surprise.

When the door to Madelyn's room shut closed, he put down the pot on the kitchen counter, pulled up one of the chairs at the kitchen table and sank down on it.

What was going on here? This made no sense! He was supposed to reply to Madelyn's Mr. Turtle-letter. And he had lost the letter. How was it even possible that she had gotten a reply? This was a miracle to him.

* * *

Madelyn was sitting at her small table, the letter unfolded in front of her on the table top, and read it one more time.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Thank you very much for your letter! It made me very happy. And the picture is just beautiful. I hope you are going to draw more pictures for me in the future._   
_I hate to keep Mrs. Sparkling Hair waiting, but before I can visit you in your new home, I have to make sure it is safe. There are more people like Mr. Bad Guy out there, and I don't want anything to happen to you. But until then we can continue writing letters. Is that okay for you? And could you please send your letters to the return address of this letter? It's a very good friend of mine, and she will make sure I get your letters as soon as possible._   
_I am fine, although I have to admit, I really, really miss your awesome tea parties. I can't wait to visit you again, but as I said, I need to make sure first that you are safe._   
_Mr. Red is fine, too. No, Mr. Bad Guy didn't hurt him. But he is really sorry for having broken your house._   
_I wish you a great time until we hear from each other again. Greetings to Mrs. Sparkling Hair and all the other new friends I made that evening._

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

A smile appeared on Madelyn's face as she took her pink letter paper and her pen and started writing.

* * *

When Mr. Dearing called his daughter to dinner, Madelyn entered the kitchen with a pink envelope letters in her hand.

"Already finished?" Mr. Dearing asked surprised.

Madelyn nodded eagerly.

"Now, that is so nice from you, Lynnie," Mr. Dearing said. "I bet Mr. Turtle is already looking forward to your letter."

When he placed the plates on the tabletop he peeked at the letter Madelyn had placed on the tabletop.

He furrowed a brow when he realized to whom the letter was addressed to.

"Mr. Turtle is a girl?" he asked surprised.

Madelyn shot him a dispraising look. "Of course not, Daddy! This is Mr. Turtle's friend and he asked me to send the letter to her."

"Ah, okay," Mr. Dearing said. "I will bring it to the post office tomorrow."

"Oh." Madelyn lowered her eyes. "Why not today?"

"Because I want to spend the evening with my little princess," Mr. Dearing said with a smile and poked at the little girl's arm playfully, and when that didn't work, he started tickling her.

Madelyn did her best to not laugh, but a few moments later she couldn't hold back any longer and laughed her bell-like laughter.

"Okay, okay, Daddy!" she gasped. "I give in, I give in! You can bring the letter to the post office tomorrow!"

Mr. Dearing chuckled and patted Madelyn's head. "Good girl!"

* * *

The next evening Mr. Dearing was on his way to the address on Madelyn's letter. He had informed Madelyn's teacher that he had to run some errands and would pick his daughter up a bit later from after school-care today.  
  
He was walking down a street now and suddenly stopped. He checked the address with the one on the letter and then straightened up and climbed the stairs.

Moments later he knocked on the door of the apartment mentioned on the letter.

A red-haired teenage girl opened to door, a questioning look in her eyes. "Yes?"

"Sorry to bother you, I am looking for an April O'Neil," Mr. Dearing said.

April looked the man over. Being haunted by aliens from another dimension and an enemy ninja clan had made her cautious to give away her name. But this man looked okay. She didn't sense anything bad about him. And if Master Splinter had taught her anything, then it was to trust her senses. Unless she wanted something so badly, her senses might mislead her. But she didn't know that man, so how could she want something from him that could mislead her senses? Did she want him to be good? Sure. Did she think she could be wrong? No. So she decided to trust her senses on this one.

"That's me," she answered.

The man's scrutiny suddenly changed into something different and he smiled at April as he retrieved a pink letter from the pocket of his jacket.

"I am Madelyn's father," he explained as he handed her the letter.

Understanding appeared in April's eyes as she took the letter from him.

"I wanted to thank you," Mr. Dearing continued. "It was so sweet from you to play along and reply to her letter as Mr. Turtle."

April smiled at him, but then she realized that one of the doors in the back of the hallway wasn't closed completely. She mentally blew a raspberry. Didn't anyone know here that eavesdropping was a sign of bad manners? Okay, maybe they did know that, but they just didn't care.

"Don't you want to come in?" April asked therefore. "For a cup of tea, maybe?"

"I'd love to!" Mr. Dearing replied.

* * *

Later they were seated at the kitchen table, each of them holding a steaming cup of tea.

"So, again," Mr. Dearing said, "thank you very much for playing along."

"You're welcome," April replied with a smile.

"My little daughter has gone through a lot lately," Mr. Dearing explained after he had taken a sip from his tea. "And due to some unforeseen circumstances we had to move into another apartment, and this really had pressed her."

"I know," April said, then she realized what she just had said. Oh geez, she wasn't supposed to know anything about this girl!

"…this must be hard," she added quickly.

"It sure is!" Mr. Dearing nodded pensively. But then he looked April in the eyes again.

"What I am really interested in," he said, "why did you do it? And how did you find that letter in the first place? I lost it quite a distance from here."

April took a deep breath. She needed to come up with a believable story. And fast!

"Well…uhm…I am a hobby photographer," she said. "And I take quite long walks in my free time with my camera to find interesting photo motives. And this pink envelope caught my photographer's eye." She gave a little smile, checking if Mr. Dearing had somehow gone suspicious of her story, but the man just smiled at her.

"And then I opened it because there was no addressee, and when I read it, it touched me. This little girl who had written that letter was waiting so desperately for an answer, so I decided to reply. I just hope I haven't made any mistakes in my letter, and she really thinks it has been written by Mr. Turtle."

"She does," Mr. Dearing reassured her.

April let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

Mr. Dearing smiled at her. "You are a very nice young lady, April O'Neil," he said. "I think another teenager wouldn't have cared. And as a sign of my thankfulness, please allow me to pay you for writing these letters."

"Nonono!" April declined. "I love writing these letters! No need to pay me for that! I won't take any money!"

"Then how about this?" Mr. Dearing went on. "I work at a monthly magazine for photographers. Okay, I am an accounts clerk there, but I know the editor. Maybe I could show him some of your pictures. It's my way of saying thank you. Would that be okay?"

April blinked a few times. "Of…course."

* * *

Later that night April was seated on the window bench of her open window, holding the pink envelope in her hands.

She didn't even turn her head as she heard a thud that announced that whom she had been waiting for was here.

"Hey, April!" she was greeted by a familiar voice as the mutant turtle walked up to her.

"Hey, Leo!" April answered, turned her head to face him and smiled at him.

"Look what I have for you," she said and handed him the pink letter.

"Wow, that was fast," Leo said.

"Her father brought it today."

Leo's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you tell him?"

"That I found the letter and that the way it was written touched me so much that I decided to write a reply."

"Did he believe you?"

"Of course he did!" April replied. "And as long as I get a camera and take plenty of pictures, he will never get suspicious."

Leo raised a brow.

"Long story," April waved aside. "But I will make sure he will never find out that there really _is_ a Mr. Turtle around."

"Thank you, April." He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a light squeeze.

"You are welcome, Leo," April replied, then she looked down on the letter in Leo's hand. "She seems to be a really nice little girl."

Leo took his hand from April's shoulder, taking the letter in both hands, and looked down on it as well.

"She really is," he said smilingly.


	4. Love Letters?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When April secretly hands a pink letter to Leo, and Donnie accidently watches it, he gets it all wrong.

When Leo came home after April had given him Madelyn’s letter he had a small smile on his face and seemed all in all more relaxed than he had been after their encounter with Slash. It was the second time he arrived at home like this – the first time had been when he had found Madelyn’s first letter – so his brothers started wondering what was going on.

When Leo walked past them, greeting them with just a slight wave, his three brothers shared a look when they heard the room to his door shut close.

“Is it only me or is Leo behaving differently the last days?” Donnie asked no one in particular.

“I think he’s more relaxed and somehow happier if that’s what you mean,” Mikey replied.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Donnie clarified.

Mikey just shrugged. “Well, you got your answer, then.”

“And what would have caused this sudden change in Leo’s behavior in your opinion, Mikey?” Donnie asked with an annoyed ring in his voice,

Mikey shrugged again. “Maybe he found a girlfriend.”

“And where on earth would Leo find a girlfriend?” Raph jumped in. “It’s not like we can go out on dates.”

“Online dating, maybe?” Mikey suggested. “But you know what? Instead of trying to figure out why Leo is less tensed we should just be happy that he is happy, don’t you think? It’s not important what made him happy, it is important that he’s happy. Anything else is secondary.”

Donnie and Raph shared a surprised look, then Donnie turned to Mikey.

“That was pretty wise,” Donnie said to his youngest brother. “For you, I mean.”

Mikey beamed at him. “I know. Call me Dr. Wise-nstein.”

“And _that_ wasn’t,” Donnie stated before he continued reading his book.

* * *

Leo let himself slump on his bed and took the letter out from where he had hidden it under his belt. He quickly yanked it open and started reading.  
  
 _Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Thank you so, so much for your letter! It made me superhappiest!_   
_But you are too careful, Mr. Turtle, just like my Daddy. I can’t go home alone from visiting a friend even if my friend lives on the other side of the street and all I have to do is cross the street. Daddy insists picking me up. But I am no baby! I am 7, I can cross the street alone._   
_So when we are back in our old apartment you will come visit me again? I can’t wait! Daddy says we can return to our apartment soon, but I think he says that for a long time now._   
_I’m glad Mr. Red isn’t hurt. He doesn’t have to be sad. It was all Mr. Bad Guy’s fault._   
_I tried my best to explain to Mrs. Sparkling Hair why you can’t come now. I think she understands it, but she still is angry. So maybe you should bring a red rose for her as a gift next time you come. It will make her less angry. But she still sends you her regards._   
_Ruffles McBearington and the others were really happy when I told them about your letter, and they are looking forward to see you again._   
_My Daddy and I watched the new animated movie about the unicorn princess this week. Have you heard of it? It was great. It is the movie to my favorite TV show. Do you have a favorite TV show?_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo chuckled. Girls and unicorns… Would he ever understand? Definitely not!

He placed the letter on the sheets and opened the drawer of his bedside table. He took the green letter paper and a pen out and grabbed the book he was reading from the bedside table. He then sat up, tugged up his legs, and placed the book on his thighs to use it as some sort of support. He placed a sheet of letter paper on the book, took the pen and started writing his reply.

When he was finished, he glanced at the clock and realized it wasn’t as late as he had thought.

He pulled out his Tphone and wrote April a text message if it was okay to bring her his letter now.

While he was waiting for April to reply, he had a look at the green sealed envelope. He still didn’t understand why April had insisted to buy green letter paper. He would have preferred blue over green, but April had said that after all the letters were written by Madelyn’s Mr. Turtle, and that the girl would rather link him with green than with blue letters.

Leo twisted his mouth as he thought of that. Madelyn was a bright little girl. He bet she had realized his blue mask and she sure was clever enough to link him with a blue letter as well. But April had still insisted on the green, and because she had bought the letter paper, he couldn’t have argued with her any longer. So, green it was.

Madelyn seemed to like giving people nicknames. Maybe Leo could persuade her to name April Miss Green.

At that moment his Tphone beeped, announcing that he had gotten a new text message. He took his Tphone in his hand, read it and then jumped to his feet.

* * *

When he had just left his room he nearly bumped into Donnie.

“Hey, Leo, I was on my way to get you for our Super Robo Mecha Force Five!-marathon. You ready?” the turtle genius asked.

“Sorry, Donnie, I have to take care of something first,” Leo replied. “Just start without me, okay.”

“Uhm, okay,” Donnie replied. “Where are you going?”

“April’s. Later, Donnie!” And with that Leo sped up his pace. Seconds later Donnie could hear him tell Raph and Mikey in the living room that he was going to be right back.

Donnie crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t like this at all.

* * *

When Madelyn and her father got their mail out of the mailbox later that week and Madelyn spotted the familiar green envelope, she clapped her hands in joy. With a smile Mr. Dearing handed her the letter and the little girl dashed up the stairs.

When she had reached their apartment door, she called for her father: “Daddy, hurry, Daddy hurry!”

As Mr. Dearing had finally managed to unlock and open the door, Madelyn darted inside and into her room in no time.

Mr. Dearing shook his head smilingly. It was good to see his daughter this happy.

* * *

Once in her room, Madelyn disappeared in what she called her cave – a blanket strained over two chairs. Her cave was in the corner opposite her bed, and it was some sort of a reading and writing cave. The room now was even more packed with her stuff, but Madelyn didn’t care. She had decided that the correspondence with Mr. Turtle was for her eyes only. Not even her dolls and plushies should be able to glance over her shoulder. This letter she had received today was hers, and hers only.

When she was seated on the pillow, she leaned her back against her wall and turned on the little reading lamp she had gotten from her dad and set up in her cave. This time it was a lamp without green tea, but the lamp was neat nonetheless. She then yanked the letter open and read it.

_Dear Madelyn,_  
  
 _I’m glad to hear my letter made you superhappiest. Your reply made me supersuperhappiest._  
 _I guess you are right. I am too careful, but I would never forgive me if something would happen to you. So have patience with me, okay? I will check out your new address as soon as possible and let you know when I think it is safe to come over for a visit._  
 _I bet your daddy just wants to make sure nothing happens to you as well. But one day he will realize that you are old enough to do certain things alone. I promise. It was the same with my father, so I know what you are talking about. It is a bit annoying, but our fathers do that because they love us._  
 _Understood. I am going to bring a red rose for Mrs. Sparkling Hair on my next visit. Is there anything else I can do? Is there something Ruffles McBearington and the others would like to have?_  
 _Sorry, I haven’t heard of this animated movie or the TV show, but I will try to check it out when I have the time._  
 _Of course I have a favorite TV show. No, actually it’s two. I just love ‘Space Heroes’ and ‘Super Robo Mecha Force Five!’. These shows are so awesome. Do you know them? Captain Ryan from ‘Space Heroes’ is my role model. When I grow up, I want to be just like him. He is great and brave and clever and strong. In one word: amazing._  
 _I hope to hear from you soon._  
  
Yours,  
 _Mr. Turtle_

With a smile Madelyn took the letter aside and grabbed pen and letter paper and the book she was using as support and started writing.

* * *

After their patrol that night Donnie had gotten back to his work in the lab. There were some new ideas for inventions in his head and he needed to at least make a few notes before he could even think of doing something else.

He had just started writing down a few things when someone entered the lab.

“Uhm, Donnie, may I ask you for a favor?” his oldest brother asked.

“What is it, Leo?” Donnie asked without looking up from his notes.

“I…uhm…was wondering if you could build me my own laptop,” Leo explained.

“You can always borrow mine. Why do you need your own laptop?” Donnie asked further, again without looking up from his notes.

“I…uhm…can only borrow yours when you don’t need it for work, so I thought it would be nice to have my own.”

Donnie immediately stopped writing and turned his head to face his brother, raising a brow. He remembered what Mikey had said a few days ago about online dating and Leo having a girlfriend.

“Well, I think I could do that,” Donnie finally said.

“Thanks, bro, you are the best!”

“ _If_ you help me getting all I need from the junkyard _and_ if you take over my cleaning duty for a month.”

Leo gulped, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Well, it is a lot of work to build a laptop, Leo, I think this is even low priced.”

Leo let out a sigh. “Okay, deal.”

He held out his hand and Donnie grabbed it. But Leo wasn’t too sure what he should think of Donnie’s slight grin.

* * *

Donnie hadn’t been lying. Building a laptop out of junk was a lot of work – generally speaking. It just wasn’t a lot of work for _him_. After two days Leo’s laptop was up and running, and the purple-clad turtle could concentrate on all his other projects for the rest of the month, now that Leo had taken over his cleaning duty.

Leo was grumbling from time to time how Donnie had tricked him, but there really wasn’t anything he could do about it. They had made a deal. Ninja’s honor and such.

So Donnie couldn’t choke down a grin when he saw Leo heading for the bathrooms with all the cleaning supplies while he was on his way to his lab to spend a nice afternoon of non-cleaning work in his lab that day  
When he heard April enter the lair later and greeting the others he thought it was time to join them in the living room.

Leo, still looking a bit grumpy as he set eyes on him, and April were seated on the bench, Raph was sitting on the beanbag, and Mikey was lying on the floor on his belly, his head resting on his hands. And they were all watching a Super Robo Mecha Force Five!-episode.

Donnie nodded to April and she smiled at him. He then sat down on the floor next to her, resting his back against the bench and hugging his knees.

He then turned his attention to the TV. It was one of his favorite episodes, the one where the princess kissed the scientist in the end.

And when this scene appeared on the screen he shyly glanced over to April – and his jaw dropped.

In this exact moment when April had thought no one would watch them, she handed a letter to Leo – a pink letter.

Donnie quickly turned his head back to the TV. Leo and April didn’t seem to have noticed that he had watched them.

What the heck was going on here? Why would April write Leo a letter? And it was a pink letter! Weren’t love letters supposed to be pink?!

Donnie had never thought that it was ridiculous for Leo to find a girlfriend, just a bit unusual. But he would have never gotten the idea that _April_ could be this girlfriend.

He hugged his knees even tighter, his fingers digging into his skin as he tensed up. This was his worst dream come true! What was he supposed to do now?


	5. Donnie's Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After telling April that he knows about her and Leo’s letters, Donnie realizes he misunderstood the whole situation - and finds out the truth.

April O'Neil got on her toes and craned her neck to get a better look on the brick building showing through some other grey buildings at the end of the street, its reddish-orange appearance forming a nice contrast to the grey in grey of the other buildings and the rainy sky.  
  
At least April _hoped_ it was a nice contrast. With a sigh she grabbed her camera that has been dangling on its loop around her neck and took a few photographs.

She had no idea for how many times she had mentally slapped herself for not coming up with a better excuse when Mr. Dearing had asked her how she had found Madelyn's letter. Hobby photographer! Why did it have to be hobby photographer?!

Her pocket money of she didn't know how many months in advance – she was lucky if she ever got pocket money in her entire life again – had been spent on a digital camera, other photographer's equipment, and some books on the matter.

Heck, she had even registered in a hobby photographers' message board! Speaking of keeping up appearances…

The funny thing was people seemed to like the photographs she had uploaded so far. This was sort of stimulating. On the other hand, maybe they were just being nice because she was a newbie. Maybe they were just being nice to Miss Green.

April furrowed a brow. Why did she choose that nickname again? Oh, right, Leo had suggested it when she had asked him if he could help her find a nickname. No idea where that came from. She had even looked down her nose on this one, but then, Leo's explanation had made sense. Green had nothing to do with her. She had red hair and never-ever wore green clothes. People would rather connect her with a Miss Red or a Miss Yellow than a Miss Green. So choosing this nickname was another way of disguise.

Seriously, has there ever been anyone else going through this kind of stuff just to help a friend? Okay, probably yes, but for April it was a first – even kept in mind that she had to keep her four best friends, her sensei, and what really had happened to her father secret to her aunt and her friends at school.

And she was getting really good at this. If she kept this up, she maybe was becoming an even better master of deception than some certain _other_ kunoichis around. Maybe she should see this as part of her training.

And maybe she should just admit that this whole hobby photographer-thing wasn't so bad after all. The more time she spent on taking photographs, the more she started to enjoy it. It somehow helped her getting her head free. But she would never dare to tell Leo about it. When he and she were on their own she kept complaining how difficult it was to keep this whole hobby photographer-thing up, and how time-consuming her camera-tours were, time she should use for something else. He always lowered his eyes then and apologized, and April somehow enjoyed seeing him like this. She was doing most of the work here while he had all the fun, so he could at least be a little sorry.

She turned to the sky taking a photograph of a nice beam of sunlight breaking through the grey wall of clouds. And when she did so, she couldn't help, but smile.

* * *

Leo was sitting on his bed. He had finished reading Madelyn's letter yesterday, but before he could reply to it, he had to take care of something first.  
  
Madelyn's letter had said the following:

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Okay, I will do my best to be patient, and I am sure I can manage it, but I can't speak for Mrs. Sparkling Hair. And Mrs. Sparkling Hair never was patient, so I'm afraid she will be really angry with you. Maybe you should bring a bunch of red roses instead of just one. To be safe._   
_I am happy that you understand me. What did you do that your father realized you are old enough to do some things alone?_   
_Ruffles Mc. Bearington and the others only want one thing – that you come to a tea party soon._   
_You should definitely check it out! It's a great and beautiful and awesome cartoon! You will like it._   
_I've heard of 'Space Heroes' and 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five!'. Some kids in my class watch it. But Daddy says it is too brutal for a little girl like me. But when I am older I reallyreallyreally want to watch it. If Mr. Turtle says it is awesome, it has to be awesome!_   
_Don't forget to tell me who is your favorite unicorn in your next letter._

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

And this last sentence in Madelyn's letter had forced Leo to watch some episodes of this unicorn-TV show she has been talking about. He had nearly finished watching the second episode with his earphones plugged in so that his brothers wouldn't be able to hear what he was watching, when the door to his room opened and Donnie popped his head in.

"Leo, it's your turn to clean the kitchen," the purple-masked turtle said, but he didn't get a reply from his oldest brother. On the contrary, Leo didn't even look up from the screen.

"Leo, did you hear me?" Donnie tried again, but as before there was no reaction from Leo's side. He didn't even seem to have realized that Donnie was there.

"LEO!"

This made Leo jump.

"What the…" he started, then set eyes on Donnie and quickly closed his laptop in some sort of a gesture that reminded Donnie of someone who got caught red-handed.

"What are you doing?" Donnie asked as Leo took his earphones out.

"N…nothing!" was the too quick reply.

"Suuuuuuure," Donnie drawled. "But anyway, since you are taking over my cleaning duty this month, it's your turn to clean the kitchen. I tried to mix some sort of a super-vitamin-rich drink, but the first five attempts got terribly wrong, the next three were okay, but only the last two were really worth the effort. Have fun!"

He grinned devilishly and just ignored Leo's grumbling as he left the room again.

* * *

When he was back in his lab Donnie slumped down on a chair with a sigh. He had thought that turning the kitchen into a battlefield and knowing that Leo had to clean it up would make him feel better, but he didn't feel better the tiniest bit.

Whenever he closed his eyes the image of April handing Leo a pink letter appeared in his mind's eye.

Okay, making all this mess in the kitchen and knowing he didn't have to clean it up had been a little bit of fun, but now that it was over, all his sad thoughts were back.

Maybe it would help if he did some really messy experiments tomorrow, when it was Leo's turn to clean his lab. Yeah, maybe that would help. He turned to his notes.

Now, what would a really, really messy experiment be?

* * *

With a deep sigh Leo slumped back on his bed later that afternoon, but this time on his stomach. He buried his face in his pillow, thus muffling another deep sigh. The kitchen hadn't been such a mess when he, Donnie, and Raph had tried to make breakfast, and back then it had been three ninja turtles to cause this mess. How on earth had Donnie managed to make this even messier mess on his own?

Without lifting his head Leo's hand wandered to the drawer of his bedside table and he got his letter paper and the pen out. After this cleaning-incident he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to watch another unicorn-episode today. All these happy unicorns with their unnatural fur colors jumping around in their village, singing songs, and talking about manecuts and dresses simply was too much for him now. Seriously, he had always thought of unicorns as some sort of magical creatures, but since when did they have pink and purple fur, lived in houses and wore dresses? But he had already watched two episodes, so he could at least tell Madelyn who his favorite unicorn was so far.

With another sigh he sat up and wrote his reply.

* * *

Later that afternoon April came over for a visit. When she found the living room empty she went over to Donnie's lab.

"Hey there, Donnie," she said with a smile as she entered the lab and walked up to her friend.

"Hey, April," Donnie replied, so focused on his messy experiments-preparations he didn't quite realize what he was saying next. "Leo's in his room."

April raised a brow. "So?" she asked.

"So what?" Donnie replied, again without looking at her.

"You said Leo was in his room," April clarified. "Why would you tell me that? It's not like I visit you boys in your rooms very often."

Donnie froze and his eyes widened in surprise. He finally took his pen aside and turned his head to face April.

"I…uhm…I…," he stammered.

"What's going on?" April probed.

"N…nothing," Donnie laughed insecurely.

"Donnie!"

The angry glance she flashed Donnie made him draw back a little and he raised his hands in an appeasing gesture.

"Okay, okay," he said. "It's just that…I…uhm…I…," – he took a deep breath – "I know yours and Leo's little secret."

"You do?" April asked surprised, receiving a nod from Donnie as a reply.

"Oh, please, pleeeeeeeease don't tell anyone!" April begged. "And please don't make fun of him!"

"Why would I make fun of him?" Now it was Donnie's turn to look surprised.

"You don't think it is funny that Leo is the pen pal of a little girl?"

"Leo is the pen pal of a little girl?" Donnie repeated.

"You mean you didn't know?" April asked. "Then what are you talking about?"

"Wait, what are _you_ talking about? Aren't Leo and you writing each other love letters?"

"What?! No!" April called out. "Why would we do that?"

Before April could react Donnie had slung his arms around her, picked her up and twirled her around until he finally realized what he was doing and put her pack on the ground.

"Uhm, sorry," he said, lowering his eyes and sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "I got carried away, I guess."

"No big deal," April said.

"So, what's this whole pen pal-thing about?" Donnie asked.

"Leo is the pen pal of the little girl he met during your encounter with Slash," April explained.

"The one he had tea with? Raph mentioned that."

"Yes, that's her," April confirmed. "But please don't tell the others. And please don't make fun of him."

"Wow, this is going to be hard," Donnie mumbled.

"Donnie!" April flashed him such an angry glance, even angrier than the one before, Donnie again drew back a few steps.

"Okay, okay, I won't make fun of him," he said defensively. "I promise!"

"Good." This time April beamed at him.

* * *

Madelyn had disappeared in her cave as soon as she had received the green letter that day. A little smile appeared on her face as she was reading it.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Thank you for being patient. I think if you try your best, you are going to be a great role model for Mrs. Sparkling Hair. Just show her what being patient is about. I bet she will understand when she has such a great teacher as you._   
_But I will bring a bunch of red roses on my next visit, just in case. What are your favorite flowers, by the way? I know Mrs. Sparkling Hair loves red roses, but have no idea what your favorite flowers might be._   
_I will do my best to not keep you, Mrs. Sparkling Hair, Ruffles McBearington and the others waiting too long, but until then, you all have to be patient, okay?_   
_I don't think I really did something to make my father realize I was old enough to do certain things alone. I just kept telling him that I was ready until one day he finally let me try. But I did because I was sure I really was ready. If you aren't sure that you are ready, Madelyn, don't try to convince your father, okay?_   
_Too bad you aren't allowed to watch 'Space Heroes' and 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five!', but maybe we can watch it together when you are older. What do you think?_   
_I was able to watch the first two episodes of this unicorn-show you told me about. And you are right it is a great and beautiful and awesome cartoon. My favorite unicorn so far is Raining Cloud Trouble. She is so brave! I mean you have to be brave if it is your duty to chase away all the raining clouds when the Princess of the Summer decides that for the sake of a rich harvest it needs to be a sunny day. Who is your favorite unicorn?_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

Madelyn giggled as she had finished reading the letter. This was so awesome! Mr. Turtle seemed to love her favorite TV show. Maybe she should draw him a picture of Raining Cloud Trouble.

And with that thought she climbed out of her cave to get her drawing block and her colored pencils.


	6. Roses and Tulips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April thought she had been punished enough for making a bad decision for her excuse, but now Leo has requests for photographs. The teenage girl can’t help it. She wants revenge.

As always Leo was smiling the whole time while he was reading Madelyn's latest letter.

This was what she had written:

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_I am going to be the greatest patience-teacher there is! I promise! It's just really hard because Mrs. Sparkling Hair keeps asking me when you will finally visit us again. Do you know yet when you can visit us?_   
_My favorite flowers are tulips. I love the pink and the purple ones best. Those are my favorite colors too._   
_I really think I am ready to do things alone, so I will tell my Daddy that I am ready. Thank you for your advice, Mr. Turtle!_   
_I like Raining Cloud Trouble, too. She is the bravest unicorn in Sunset Ville, but my favorite unicorn is Tallulah Twinkle. She is nice and smart and she always finds a solution to any problem the other unicorns have. She even helps Raining Cloud Trouble in an episode when she gets caught by a tribe of Black Hoof Unicorns because she just jumps in there to save a fellow unicorn without thinking it through. So Tallulah Twinkle comes up with a plan and rescues them all. Oh no, now I told you too much! You still have to watch this episode! And all the other episodes there are yet. It is two seasons so far, and the third season will air in the middle of next year. I can't wait! This show is so great! And I am so happy you like it too! I drew you a picture of Raining Cloud Trouble because she is your favorite. I hope you like it!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

When he had finished reading, Leo put the letter aside and took the picture of Raining Cloud Trouble in his hand to have a closer look. The smile on his face grew even deeper. Now, this was one of the cutest things he had ever seen!

He then thought about when would be the best time to visit Madelyn. He knew now where the apartment block she lived in at the moment, was, he still had to figure out which window belonged to Madelyn's room, but he was sure he could manage that.

The roses he promised to bring for Madelyn's doll on the other hand weren't so easy to manage. Sure, he could ask April to buy a bunch of red roses, but first, roses were expensive and April had spent all her pocket money on photographer's equipment – seriously, couldn't she have told Mr. Dearing that she had been in that part of the city because she was walking dogs in her free time to earn a little extra pocket money? This would have been so much easier! – and second, what would Madelyn's father think when he found a bunch of red roses in his daughter's room in the morning? After all, Mr. Dearing thought April was Mr. Turtle, and why would April sneak into Madelyn's room in the first place?

No, he had to come up with a better plan. Just like Tallulah Twinkle.

When he thought that, Leo automatically slapped his hand against his forehead. Had he really just used a unicorn as a reference? What was wrong with _him?_

Nonetheless, he wracked his brain to find a solution, and suddenly the smile appeared back on his face. That could probably work.

He took out his Tphone and dialed a number.

"Hey, April! It's Leo," he said when his human friend picked up. "I need your help. Again."

He grinned insecurely and he could somehow feel how April rolled her eyes before she asked him what he wanted.

* * *

Now, this was getting better and better! And yes, this was meant to sound sarcastic. Not even was she forced to act like a hobby photographer thanks to Leo, no, now Mr. Turtle even had _requests!_ What was coming next? Open her own photographic studio so Madelyn could start her career as a supermodel?

With a gloomy look on her face April O'Neil tromped alongside the flower beds of the New York Botanical Garden.

She really hoped she could quickly get pictures of the flowers Leo had requested and leave again. But was there even a season for tulips now? What about roses? What the heck had he been thinking?

On the other hand, what the heck had she been thinking when she came up with that whole hobby photographer-excuse? But seriously, hadn't she been punished enough for coming up with a not so good excuse?

Okay, this wasn't going to work. If she kept being mad at Leo and mentally slapping herself, how would she be able to take beautiful photographs of flowers? Right, she wouldn't.

She stopped abruptly and closed her eyes. She needed to be able to focus. And she couldn't focus when all these negative thoughts were floating around in her head.

She took a deep breath, then another, and a third one, and when she opened her eyes again, she really saw her surroundings for the first time since she had entered the Botanical Garden. And it was a beautiful sight. That little tree over there, for example, looked just gorgeous.

She grabbed her camera that had been dangling on its loop around her neck like always when she was on one of her photographer's tours and took a picture.

And what about these yellow flowers in front of her? She took another picture. And weren't these flowers over there not the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen? She walked over to them and took another picture.

She checked the pictures on the camera's little screen. They weren't so bad. No, actually they looked really nice.

Smilingly she lifted her head and looked around her. Now, where were those roses?

* * *

Madelyn was standing in the middle of her room, looking over to her bed where she had set up Mrs. Sparkling Hair, Ruffles McBearington and some of her other favorite toys.

"Okay," she told them. "I am doing this now." She had a determined look on her face. But suddenly her expression changed into something a bit insecure.

"And you really think I am ready for this?" she asked her audience.

After a moment of silence she nodded and the determined look appeared back on her face. "Thank you!" She clenched her fists. "I can do this!"

And with another nod towards her audience she left her room and entered the kitchen-cum-living-room.

Her father was seated on the couch, reading a book.

For a moment Madelyn stopped in the doorway, looking back over her shoulder to her toys, and it seemed to her as if they were nodding to her encouragingly. And so she took a deep breath and walked over to her father.

"Daddy," she addressed him.

""Yes, Lynnie?" Mr. Dearing put the book aside.

"I…I promised Kathy to come over for a visit so we can do our math homework together," she explained.

"Okay," her father said. "Then get your things. I will bring you there."

Madelyn grasped her hands behind her back and started bouncing on her toes, her whole appearance a bit insecure now.

"But, Daddy," she said, lowering her eyes, "Kathy lives just across the street since we moved here. I thought I could go there alone."

Mr. Dearing's eyes widened in surprise. "Lynnie, you know it is dangerous out there for a little girl…"

"But I'm no baby, Daddy!" Madelyn interrupted him, and all at once the insecurity in her voice was gone, she had stopped bouncing on her toes and looked her father directly into the eyes. "I can cross the street alone. Please let me do this!"

Mr. Dearing blinked a few times. This was new. Madelyn never insisted on doing something alone. Usually, just mentioning the word "dangerous" was enough to make her refrain from doing something alone.

He looked at his little girl. Sure, she was no baby any longer, but she still was far from being grown up, even far from being a teenager. Could she really deal with going to her friend alone? Could _he_ really deal with it?

A scene from the past appeared in his mind's eye, something he had thought he had locked away in the back of his brain with all his bad memories, although this one was a good memory – Madelyn's mother laughing at him as he was testing for the third time if their apartment really was baby-proofed. _You can't protect her from everything_ , she had said with a smile. And when he remembered her words, the smile on her beautiful face, he smiled too.

"Okay, Lynnie," he said. "How about this? I accompany you to the front door of our building and then watch you from there? You can cross the street alone, but I'll be watching you, just in case. Is that okay?"

Madelyn nodded. "Yes, Daddy, that's fine."

And moments later Mr. Dearing was watching as his little girl crossed the street, and as she had arrived at the other building and Kathy had buzzed her in, she opened the front door and waved to her father. Mr. Dearing waved back, and then the door snapped shut.

Mr. Dearing sighed. Why did she have to grow up so fast?

* * *

The next night Leo showed up at April's. The teenage girl was awaiting him sitting on the window bench of her open window. Leo greeted her with a smile which she returned.

"You got what I need?" Leo asked.

"I do," April said and showed him a white envelope, but when he tried to take it she snatched it out of his reach.

"Not so fast," she said. "I went through a lot to get these, I maybe even have to add a photographic printer to my equipment if you need printed photographs more often. So I want something in return."

"And what might that be?" Leo asked cautiously.

"My aunt wants me to clean the kitchen on Monday while she is at the movie theater with one of her friends," April explained. "And she will come across the cleanest kitchen she has ever seen once she gets home. But I won't do anything. Understood?"

Leo took a deep breath, but nodded. "You talked to Donnie, didn't you?"

"Maybe," April replied with a grin.

"But April, could you _please_ promise me you won't make a mess?" he asked insecurely.

"Now, Leo, you should know I really _can't_ do that." The grin on the girl's face grew broader.

Leo just gulped.

* * *

Later that night Leo and his brothers were on patrol. And his hope that it would be an uneventful routine patrol without anything important happening had been deceived. First, they had rescued a woman from some muggers without being seen, then they had run into a group of Purple Dragons, and then they had been attacked by three Footbots on their way home. He had planned to surprise Madelyn and visit her tonight, but it had gotten later and later. Fortunately, it wasn't too late now. He could still visit Madelyn and be Mr. Turtle for some time. They were on their way back home again. What else could go wrong now?

At that moment a van turned around the corner of the street with high speed.

"Heh, it's the Kraang!" Donnie called out.

Leo mentally rolled his eyes. _You had to ask, Leo, you had to ask!_

* * *

Madelyn woke up the next morning with a smile on her face. She had had the most beautiful dream. Mr. Turtle had been here for a tea party, and it had been the best tea party ever! And when Mr. Turtle had to leave he had stroked her hair and wished her a good night.

The little girl stretched and then got up. It was Saturday and her father let her sleep in on the weekends. But she was hungry now, so she scurried into the kitchen. She thought her father would be up, and really, her father was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Good morning, Daddy!" Madelyn greeted Mr. Dearing.

"Good morning, Lynnie!" her father replied. "I got something for you." He pointed at two envelopes on the table, a green and a white one. "They're both for you. Mr. Turtle's friend April brought them this morning."

"Really?!" Madelyn cheered and grabbed both letters. The hunger was forgotten as she ran back into her room and crawled into her cave.

She turned on her reading lamp on, yanked the green envelope open, and read the letter.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I wanted to surprise you yesterday, but it was a really busy night, and when I arrived at your place, you were already asleep. I just hadn't the heart to wake you up, so I just wished you a good night and left._   
_I asked my friend to bring you the letter today so that your father won't be suspicious when there would be a letter in your room this morning._   
_I love your picture of Raining Cloud Trouble! It is so beautiful!_   
_I asked my friend to make some beautiful photographs of red roses for Mrs. Sparkling Hair. I really wanted to bring her a bunch of red roses, but what would your father think if there suddenly was a bunch of red roses in your room? I hope Mrs. Sparkling Hair likes the photographs as much as she would like a real bunch of roses. And then there are some photos of pink and purple tulips as well. These are for you._   
_I watched some more episodes of 'Unicornia', and I must confess I like Tallulah Twinkle as well. You are right, she is very smart. What do you think of Sweetie Smile? I think she is a bit annoying sometimes, but most of the time I like her. She has such a carefree nature. But sometimes her smile-smile-smile-attitude is a bit too much._   
_I try to visit you again next week._

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

Madelyn frowned. So Mr. Turtle really had been in her room tonight? And she had missed him? The look on her face got really sad, but then she opened the second envelope and took the photographs out. Madelyn's jaw dropped. These were the most beautiful photographs of roses and tulips she had ever seen!

She quickly crawled out of her cave again. She showed the roses-photographs to Mrs. Sparkling her.

"Look, look, look!" she said. "Aren't they beautiful?"

Then she ran into the kitchen, the photographs in her hand.

"Daddy, Daddy! Look what I got!" she cried out cheerfully.

* * *

On Monday night Leo arrived at April's room. The teenage girl was lounging around in her bed, reading a magazine.

"Cleaning utensils are in the storage room next to the kitchen," she said matter-of-factly. "And do you know what happens when you warm up tomato sauce too long in the microwave?"

"N…no," Leo gave back.

"Well, then you are going to find out. Good luck!"

Leo just growled as he walked past her.


	7. Growing Up A Little

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn feels so grown up after she had managed to persuade her dad to let her visit her friend alone. And April finally has to confess that photographing is more to her than just keeping her cover.

With a sigh Leo slumped face-down on his bed like he had done so often since he had had to take over Donnie's cleaning duty. And now April had adopted this as well. Sure, he only had to clean the kitchen in her aunt's apartment once, but who knew when he would need April's help again? And maybe next time he had to clean more than just the kitchen.

Why did it always have to be cleaning? He even was having nightmares about cleaning now! And there were still three more weeks to go until he had fulfilled his and Donnie's deal. Donnie may have stopped making extra big messes now, but it was still a lot of work.

Leo had even thought of somehow tricking Mikey into taking over his own cleaning duty so he had a bit less to do. But then he had decided against it. It just wouldn't be fair. And he knew better now. Next time, he wouldn't be tricked by Donnie so easily.

He rolled on his back and took Madelyn's latest letter out of the drawer of his bedside table which April had brought this morning.

This sure would cheer him up a bit, he thought while he started reading.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_I am so sorry that I missed you! Next time, you have to wake me up!_   
_The photographs are so beautiful! Mrs. Sparkling Hair just loves the roses-photographs, but I love the tulips-ones even more! And Mrs. Sparkling Hair said that she is okay with the photographs instead of real roses. Maybe you should bring her some new photographs next time. And I would be happy if you could bring some new tulip-photographs for me. And could you please tell your friend that Mrs. Sparkling Hair and I really love her photographs?_   
_I understand why you can't bring real roses. Mrs. Sparkling Hair understands it too. But I really hope I can introduce you to Daddy one day. I don't think he believes that you are real._   
_I like Sweetie Smile, but I think sometimes she is really stupid. I wish she would be more serious from time to time. But her smile-smile-smile-attitude cheers me up when I feel sad._   
_What is your favorite 'Unicornia'-episode so far? Have you watched the one with evil unicorn-sorcerer yet?_   
_And guess what? I persuaded Daddy to let me visit this friend of mine who lives just across the street, alone! He watched from the front door how I crossed the street, but I really crossed the street alone! And when I went home I called Daddy and he awaited me at our front door again. But again, I crossed the street alone! I wasn't afraid, but smiled all the time. I feel so grown up now! Thank you so much for your advice, Mr. Turtle! I knew I was ready for this! And it turned out I really was!_   
_Maybe now I can persuade Daddy that I am old enough to watch 'Space Heroes' and 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five!'._   
_Do you go to school, Mr. Turtle? Is there a special school for talking turtles like you? And what's your favorite subject? I like school because I meet my friends there, and my favorite subject is mathematics. I am really good at it._   
_Okay, it will be hard, but I will wait until next week. I can't wait to see you again!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo put Madelyn's letter away, thinking about what the little girl had written. New photographs? So he had to ask April for some. And this surely meant more cleaning to do for him. He choked a sigh. By the end of this month he was going to be a cleaning-expert.

He took his laptop on his lap, turned it on and plugged his earphones in. He needed to catch up on Unicornia. He still hadn't watched the first season. There were ten more episodes left. All this cleaning duty had kept him from watching the show. And he still had to keep it secret from his brothers that he was the pen pal of a little girl _and_ that this little girl somehow had forced him to watch a cartoon about colorful unicorns. He did feel a bit better now after reading Madelyn's letter, but he still wasn't in a good mood now that he has realized that maybe he would have to do even more cleaning in the near future. So it was up to Sweetie Smile to cheer him up completely.

* * *

Mr. Dearing and Madelyn were on their way home. Mr. Dearing had just picked up his little girl from school and now they were walking hand in hand down the street.

They walked past a little shop, and Madelyn stopped immediately, tearing at her father's arm and so forcing him to stop as well.

"Daddy, Daddy, look!" she cried out and pointed at a DVD-box in the dressing window. "It's the first season of 'Space Heroes'! Can I have it?"

Her father frowned. "But Madelyn, we talked about this before. This is no show for a little girl!"

"But Daddy, it's Mr. Turtle's favorite TV show and I want to be able to talk about this with him. And now that I am old enough to visit Kathy alone, don't you think I am old enough to watch this? Other girls in my class watch it too." Madelyn gave her father a puppy-eyed look. "Please, Daddy, please, please, pleeeeeeease!"

Mr. Dearing did his best to stay strong, but when he looked into Madelyn's eyes, he could feel his resistance crumbling down.

He took a deep breath. "Okay," he mumbled.

And then he flinched at Madelyn's deafening outcry of joy.

* * *

The next day April just had made herself comfortable in the living room and was looking forward to a nice, quiet evening because her aunt was working overtime today, when there was a knock at the door. She frowned. Who could that be?

She got up and glanced through the door viewer, and then opened the door as she saw Mr. Dearing outside.

"Mr. Dearing," she said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, April," Mr. Dearing greeted her. "Nothing, really, I'm just here to give you this."

And with that he handed April a box.

The teenage girl took it and looked at the label.

"A photographic printer?" April asked surprised.

"I…I hope you don't have one already," Mr. Dearing said. "Madelyn showed me your photographs, and they were so beautiful that I thought maybe I could contribute to your photographer's equipment. But if you already have a printer, you can always exchange it."

"No, no, that's awesome," April replied. "I don't have a photographic printer, so that's great. Thank you so, so much!"

"No, I thank you," Mr. Dearing retorted. "You are doing so much for my little girl, this is the least I can do." A smile appeared on his face. "Is it true that you even watch 'Unicornia' now? Madelyn mentioned it a few days ago."

Unicornia? April wracked her brain until she finally remembered where she had heard of this before. It was this TV show for little girls.

"Y…yes," she stammered. "It's a cute show."

Mr. Dearing's smile deepened. "I didn't think this was a show for a teenage girl."

"I…I have unusual taste," April stated.

"I can imagine," Mr. Dearing chuckled. "Considering the fact that you like 'Space Heroes', that is."

April laughed insecurely. "Yeah…that."

They stood there for a moment in silence, until April's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my god, where are my manners?" she burst out. "Don't you want to come in?"

"No, thank you, April, I just wanted to bring you this printer. I am on my way to pick Madelyn up from after school-care, so actually I don't have much time," Mr. Dearing replied.

"Okay, then just give me a second." And with that April disappeared inside the apartment, and when she came back, she handed Mr. Dearing the familiar green envelope.

"Here you go," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, April," Mr. Dearing replied as he took the letter. "Oh, and don't forget to give me some of your photographs. I still want to show them to our editor. If they are as beautiful as your flower-photographs are, I bet he wants to present them in the magazine."

"Oh, wow, that would be awesome!" April burst out. "Thank you so much, Mr. Dearing!"

"You're welcome. See you soon!"

"Bye, Mr. Dearing!"

* * *

When Leo arrived at April's this night after their patrol, his human friend was already awaiting him sitting on her window bench.

"You wanted to see me, April?" Leo asked cautiously. He hoped she hadn't come up with more cleaning duty for him.

"Yes, I actually wanted to thank you," April said.

"Thank me? What for?" Leo asked surprised.

"Because without you I would never have realized how much fun photographing is," April explained. "And it turned out that I am quite good. So thanks for that, Leo." She gave the mutant turtle a little smile which Leo returned.

"So, I don't have to do any cleaning for you again?" Leo asked. "Because I might need some more flower-photographs from you."

April's smile turned into a grin, a devilish grin. "Well, Leo, I didn't say _that_."

When Leo heard that, his face just fell.

He remembered Madelyn had asked him to tell April how beautiful she thought her photographs were, but there was no way he would tell her this now.

* * *

Madelyn was sitting in her cave again, but this time she had taken Mrs. Sparkling Hair with her which was now seated beside her. The little girl just couldn't have taken it any longer how reproachful the doll had been looking at her and had decided to let her inside her cave just this time to show her what she was doing in there.

She yanked the letter open, but before she started reading she took Mrs. Sparkling Hair and placed her on her lap so that the doll could have a better look at the letter. Then she started reading.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Oh no, you are a little girl and you need your sleep. I'll just make sure to show up earlier on my visit next week._   
_Let's wait with the introducing, okay? I don't think your father is ready for that now._   
_Speaking of being ready, I am really proud of you. Persuading your father to allow you to let you go to your friend all by yourself really is something. And he might not admit it, but I bet he is proud of you too. Looks like you have grown up a little._   
_You are right about Sweetie Smile. She cheered me up when I was feeling a bit sad yesterday._   
_And yes, I have watched the episode with the evil sorcerer. And I think this is my favorite episode so far. It was exciting, and I liked Tallulah Twinkle's plan to defeat the sorcerer very much. It was well-thought-out. I think she is a good leader. She tries her best to keep her teammates out of danger and still come up with great plans to defeat their enemies. This is what a true leader has to accomplish._   
_Fingers crossed that your father allows you to watch 'Space Heroes' and 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five!'! Then we would have more awesome TV shows to talk about._   
_No, unfortunately there is no special school for talking turtles. There are just a few of us, so my brothers and I were home-schooled. And our education differs a bit from what you might know because we were trained to be ninjas. But I guess you could say physical education is my favorite subject._   
_I can't wait to see you again as well, Madelyn! I am doing my best that we can finally meet face-to-face next week._

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

With a smile Madelyn took the letter away and grabbed her letter paper and pen. She couldn't wait to tell Mr. Turtle that her father had bought her the first season of "Space Heroes"!

But before she started writing she smiled down at her doll.

"See, Mrs. Sparkling Hair?" she said. "I told you Mr. Turtle writes the most beautiful letters in the world. Now what should we answer him? Do you have an idea?"

It seemed to Madelyn as if Mrs. Sparkling Hair had nodded.

"Really? Well, then tell me more about it."


	8. Cheering Mr. Turtle Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn decides to cheer Mr. Turtle up and sends him a special gift.

The next morning Mr. Dearing was just getting ready for leaving the apartment when he called out for his daughter.

"Lynnie, are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Daddy!" was the answer and moments later Madelyn left her room and went over to her father, schoolbag already on her back.

Mr. Dearing frowned when he realized she had no pink letter in her hand.

"No letter for Mr. Turtle today?" he asked.

"Yes, of course!" Madelyn replied. "It's in my bag."

"Don't you want me to bring it to the post office today?" her father asked further.

"Not today, Daddy," Madelyn replied. "I have a favor to ask, Daddy. Could we please visit Mr. Turtle's friend today? I have something for Mr. Turtle and it doesn't fit into the envelope. So I want to give it to her in person. Could we do that, pleeeeeeeease?"

Her father smiled at her and stroked her hair. "Of course we can," he said. "I actually think it's a good idea that you meet her."

Madelyn beamed at him. "Thanks, Daddy!"

* * *

So at the evening of the same day April opened the door to a little girl and her father.

"Hello, Mr. Dearing," April greeted the man and then looked at the little girl. "And you must be Madelyn," She beamed at Madelyn who just eyed her up frowningly.

"I am," Madelyn said. "And you are Mr. Turtle's friend?"

"Yes." April kept smiling even if she hadn't missed the slightly unfriendly ring to Madelyn's voice. "Don't you want to come in?"

"Of course." Madelyn just walked past her when April stepped aside.

The teenage girl gave Mr. Dearing a questioning look, but he just smiled apologetically and mumbled, "She is a bit shy sometimes."

Shy? This was supposed to be _shy_?! April's eyes widened in surprise.

When the tea was ready April joined Madelyn and Mr. Dearing at the kitchen table, pouring each of them a cup of tea. She was really glad that her aunt had told her that she was meeting a friend after work. Her aunt was already thinking that April had some strange friends and did some strange things with all this roaming around she was doing. And the sudden interest in photographing had only contributed to that.

"So, how are you doing, Madelyn?" April asked with an insecure smile.

"I'm fine." The little girl was still eyeing her up. "Are you really Mr. Turtle's friend?"

"Of course I am!" April said.

"What's the color of his mask?"

"Blue."

"His skin color?"

"Green."

"Swords or wand?"

"Swords."

Madelyn gave her a piercing glance once more, and then suddenly the earnest look on her face turned into a friendlier one and she smiled at April for the first time.

"Now I know you really are Mr. Turtle's friend," she said.

"Heh, I totally understand," April told her. "Better safe than sorry."

Madelyn just nodded, then rummaged around in her schoolbag and retrieved one of her pink letters which she placed in front of April on the kitchen table. She reached into her bag once more and took out a doll which she placed near the pink envelope.

"The letter and Mrs. Sparkling Hair are for Mr. Turtle," Madelyn explained. "Could you please give them to him?"

"Of course!" April assured.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Madelyn said happily. "I reallyreallyreally love your photographs!"

"Reallyreallyreally?" April repeated.

"Yesyesyes!" Madelyn confirmed.

And then they both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

* * *

When Madelyn and her father left, the little girl waved at April. Madelyn went over to the staircase, but before she started to climb them down, she looked back at her father who had stopped at the open door of the apartment.

"I'll be right there, Madelyn! Just wait a second, okay?" Mr. Dearing called over to his daughter who responded with a nod, and then turned to April. "Thank you for your amazing playing along," he mumbled. "How come you know so many details about Mr. Turtle?"

"Uhm…that's because I am…uhm…amazing at playing along," April said with a smile.

"Madelyn seems to like you," Mr. Dearing went on. "I know you are already doing so much for her, but might I ask you for another favor? I am looking for a babysitter for Madelyn. I pay well, of course. Are you interested?"

April thought about it for a moment. "Why not?" she finally said. "She is a nice little girl."

Mr. Dearing patted her shoulder. "Thanks a lot, April." And with that he caught up with his daughter, they both waved at April once more and then climbed down the stairs.

When April closed the door of the apartment she thought about this for a moment. First hobby photographer, now babysitter? Not bad. She smiled self-confidently as she returned to the kitchen.

* * *

When April arrived at the lair the next day she walked right to Leo's room, when Donnie had told her that his big brother was in his room doing who-knows-what on his laptop.

After knocking at the door for the third time and not getting an answer, April cautiously opened the door. There he was, sitting on his bed, his earphones plugged in, and so riveted by whatever he was watching on his laptop that he didn't seem to notice she was there.

April just smiled as she walked over to him. She had a slight idea what Leo was watching there, and her smile suddenly turned into a smirk as she decided she wanted to find out for sure. She made sure not to make a noise until she was standing next to him and glanced over his shoulder.  
 _  
_ _Gotcha!_

"Oh, is that a 'Unicornia'-episode?" she asked, being sure that so close to him he must hear her even with his earphones plugged in.

And he sure did hear her. Leo literally jumped to his feet, nearly throwing his laptop away, but then grabbing it tighter as he looked at April.

Leo, now standing on his bed, slowly shut his laptop closed and took out his earphones.

"Maybe," he said cautiously.

April just raised a brow, and with a sigh Leo slumped down into a sitting position again.

"Okay, yes, it was," he admitted.

"I knew it," April said with a grin and sat down at the edge of the bed.

"It's Madelyn's favorite TV show," Leo explained before he frowned at April. "How come you suddenly show up in my room?"

"Oh, I just wanted to be sure, no one watches when I give you this," April said as she retrieved Madelyn's letter from her messenger bag.

Leo took the letter with a frown. April had handed him Madelyn's letters so many time before in secret while his brothers were around, why would she insist on giving it to him here in his room now?

"And this," April went on and handed Leo Madelyn's doll.

Okay, that could be the reason.

"A doll?" Leo asked.

"You sure it's no action figure?" April asked chuckling.

"Haha, very funny. Why would Madelyn give me her doll?"

April shrugged and got up. "Dunno. Maybe she explains it in her letter." And with that she left, closing the door behind her.

Leo frowned at the doll. What was he supposed to do with a doll?

He then yanked the letter open and read what Madelyn had written.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_You said in your letter that you were feeling sad. I talked to Mrs. Sparkling Hair about it. She and me were reading your letter together. I hope it is okay that now Mrs. Sparkling Hair knows what you write. It made me sad to hear that you were sad and needed Sweetie Smile to cheer you up. And suddenly Mrs. Sparkling Hair suggested that maybe we can ask your human friend to bring her to you so that she can cheer you up. She is not as good a cheerer as Ruffles McBearington but she is very good. And she insisted on doing this for you because she missed you so much. But please don't tell her that Ruffles McBearington is a better cheerer. She hates it when someone is better than her. And I am sure she is doing her best to cheer you up. So next time you feel sad Mrs. Sparkling Hair is there to cheer you up._   
_The evil sorcerer-episode is really good, but the episode where Sweetie Smile's big sister marries is even better. She and her fiancé are so in love! It is the bestet episode ever!_   
_What's a ninja, Mr. Turtle? And how many brothers do you have? Do you have sisters too? I like physical education too, but I like mathematics more._   
_Oh, Mr. Turtle you will be even prouder of me now! Daddy bought me the first season of 'Space Heroes' and I already watched the first episode. And I really like it! Captain Ryan is very brave. He reminds me of Tallulah Twinkle._   
_Fingers crossed twice that we can meet next week!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo looked down at the doll sitting next to him. So Madelyn had sent it to him to cheer him up, to make him feel better? He smiled as he carefully took one of the doll's hands between two fingers and gently shook it.

"Hello, Mrs. Sparkling Hair," he said warmly. "I am Leo."

* * *

Madelyn had curled up in bed that night, holding Ruffles McBearington close to her. She wondered if Mr. Turtle was going to be nice to Mrs. Sparkling Hair. But why shouldn't he be nice? Mrs. Sparkling Hair surely was a bit special from time to time, but all in all she was nice.

Madelyn crawled out from under her sheets, hugging her teddy bear even tighter and went over to the window.

She looked outside at the small cutout of night sky she could see between the surrounding buildings.

"Good night, Mr. Turtle," she said. "Good night, Mrs. Sparkling Hair."

And with that she crawled back into her bed. And the moment her head hit the pillow she fell asleep. And whatever she was dreaming conjured a smile on her face. Maybe she was dreaming about unicorns. Or maybe she was dreaming about Mr. Turtle. Or something else. Whatever it was, it sure was lovely.

* * *

The next afternoon during after school-care Madelyn was sitting in the reading corner. The other children were playing board games or drawing or doing anything else but reading. So Madelyn had the reading corner for herself. She took out the letter April had brought to their apartment this morning before school – Leo sure had to promise her something for doing this, probably something that included cleaning – and started reading it.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Thank you very much for sending Mrs. Sparkling Hair to me. She is very nice and I think she has settled in quite well. We are still looking for the perfect sleeping berth for her. You have any ideas? Where does she like to sleep? Bed or hammock?_   
_And I am sure she will cheer me up when I am sad the next time. And no worries, I will never tell her that Ruffles McBearington is a better cheerer._   
_So Mrs. Sparkling Hair is going to cheer me up when I am sad and Ruffles McBearington is going to cheer you up when you're sad? I think this is a pretty good solution._   
_I am going to watch the wedding-episode today or tomorrow. I bet she is good. If you like it, I am sure I am going to like it as well. I read on the 'Unicornia'-website that there is an impostor showing up in this episode. Can't wait to find out what is going to happen!_   
_Ninjas are some sort of superheroes. We do nightly patrols and help people and fight our enemies. So if you are in danger, just let me know. I will come and save you._   
_I have three brothers, and April is a very close friend. Now that I think of it she is some sort of a sister to me._   
_What about you? Are you an only child?_   
_You really did that? Madelyn, you have no idea how proud I am right now! You sure are growing up now. Good job!_   
_I know, right? Captain Ryan is awesome! Isn't the first episode a great introduction of him? I mean you learn nearly anything you need to know about him in this one episode! You learn that he is brave, clever, a very good strategist, and a good fighter. Wait till you watch the episode in which he gets captured and has to fight in an arena. His plan to get out of there is simply brilliant!_   
_What do you think of the Dauntless? Isn't that a great spaceship?_   
_Fingers and toes crossed that we can meet next week!_

_Yours._   
_Mr. Turtle_

With a smile on her face Madelyn tucked the letter away. She was happy that Mr. Turtle seemed to take such good care of Mrs. Sparkling Hair. Her favorite doll was really demanding, and if she hadn't complained to Mr. Turtle about anything yet, it must mean that Mr. Turtle really was doing a good job.

Madelyn thought if she should start writing her reply now. Or maybe she should draw a picture of Captain Ryan for Mr. Turtle? He really liked her pictures, so why not do this?

The little girl nodded determinedly and walked over to a free table.


	9. Babysitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April is Madelyn’s new babysitter, and as she looks over the little girl one eveing, she has a big surprise for her.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Mrs. Sparkling Hair loves beds, especially king-size beds with pink bedclothes. So if you can find something like that for her, that would be great._   
_Yes, I think this is a pretty good solution too. We both have our cheerers, and this is great._   
_You will be so surprised when you find out who the impostor is! It was a big surprised to me. I nearly screamed when the impostor was discovered. It was so exciting!_   
_So you are a superhero? That's good. I always wanted to know a superhero and now I do. Do you capture bad guys? What about the ones that robbed the bank two streets from here last week? Daddy told me about it. Did you fight them and get the money back?_   
_Yes, I am an only child. Mommy went away to live with the angels when I was a baby and since then Daddy and me were on our own._   
_Thank you, Mr. Turtle! Maybe soon I can go to school all by myself. Or maybe my superhero can watch over me when I do that._   
_Captain Ryan is awesomest! I drew a picture of him for you. And the Dauntless is great too. I wanted to draw a picture of her, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted, so I will make a new one. I will send it to you when I think it's good._   
_I watched the arena-episode with Daddy yesterday, and it was so exciting. I was a bit scared when the monsters showed up, but I didn't show Daddy because I am growing up and only little girls are scared of monsters. And when Captain Ryan came up with this great plan I wasn't scared any longer._   
_Daddy told me that April is my new babysitter. She is really nice and I can't wait to spend time with her! Maybe you, April and me can do something together one day. What do you think?_   
_But first, I want to meet you alone for a tea party._

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

With a smirk Leo opened the drawer of his bedside table and laid the letter inside to all the other letters he had gotten from Madelyn so far. His eyes fell on Mrs. Sparkling Hair which was in there together with all the letters and the pictures she had drawn for him.

Okay, this was no king-size bed and the letters sure were no bedclothes, but considering the fact, that the drawer was pretty big compared to a doll and the letters were pink, Leo decided that it was close enough.

 _Just don't ever tell Madelyn you put her precious doll inside a drawer_ , Leo thought. But on the other hand, how was she ever going to find out? It wasn't like she could visit him here.

He then looked at the picture of Captain Ryan the little girl had drawn. This actually was the first picture he didn't have to hide inside the drawer. He got up and carried the picture over to the shelf he used to store all his Space Heroes-merchandise. There were comics there, and action figures, even a Space Heroes-coffee mug. The wall behind the shelf was covered in posters of the show. With a smile Leo pinned Madelyn's pic next to one of the posters. If his brothers would make any fun of it – okay, more fun than they already made of his "Space Heroes-shrine" how they called it – and ask him where he got that from, he could always tell them that it was a pic he had drawn when he was little and which he had now recovered in one of the boxes he stored his old stuff in.

He stepped back and looked at the posters and Madelyn's pic. This fitted very well.

He then marched back to his bed and took out his letter paper. Now what to reply to Madelyn?

* * *

April O'Neil was on her way to the cafeteria when suddenly her phone rang. She literally jumped when she heard the familiar ring. Hadn't she muted that? Good thing it already was lunch hour and this hadn't happened during class. She rummaged in her messenger back and when she finally found the phone, she picked up quickly.

"Yes, Mr. Dearing?" she asked.

She and Mr. Dearing had exchanged their phone numbers the other day when Mr. Dearing had brought April Madelyn's latest letter. Sure, Mr. Dearing could have sent the letter by mail and added his phone number to it, but he had wanted to inform April that Madelyn was fine with having have her as her new babysitter – more than fine, to be honest. The little girl had been really excited and happy and had been dancing through the apartment.  
  
So April wasn't that surprised that Mr. Dearing called her.

"Hello, April," Madelyn's father said. "I know this is a bit on short notice, but are you free this afternoon? Madelyn needs to be picked up from after school-care at around four, because they close a bit earlier today. But an urgent matter has popped up here at work, and I am sure I won't be able to get out of the office before seven. So do you think you could take care of Madelyn until then? If you don't have time, that's okay. I could call one of her friends' mothers as well, but you know how much she likes you and…"

"That's fine, Mr. Dearing," April interrupted him, smilingly rolling her eyes at his monologue. "I have some free time this afternoon, so that's totally fine."

"Thanks a lot, April!" Mr. Dearing said with a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how much you help me here. I owe you. So I am going to call Madelyn's after school-teacher now and let her know that you are going to pick Madelyn up today. Thanks again, April!"

"You are welcome, Mr. Dearing," April said with a smile.

* * *

So later that day April showed Madelyn in her aunt's apartment.

The little girl shambled inside and looked around, scanning everything around her with a frown on her face.

April watched her. _Oh, right, this was supposed to be shy._

"Madelyn, I have something for you. I'll be right back," April said and went to her room just to return moments later with a green letter in her hand which she handed to the little girl.

"Why don't you read the letter while I make you a sandwich?" April suggested with a smile.

The little girl just nodded and sat down on the couch.

April made sure that Madelyn was okay and then left for the kitchen.

Madelyn yanked the letter open and read what Mr. Turtle had written.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I think I found a nice sleeping berth for Mrs. Sparkling Hair. It's not a king-size bed with pink bedclothes, but it's pretty close. I think she likes it._   
_It was quite a surprise who the impostor was. Never would have thought of that! You are right, it really was an exciting episode._   
_Yes, we do capture bad guys, but I'm afraid we haven't captured the bad guys who robbed the bank. As far as I know the police has captured them already and got the money back. But we will have a close look on the neighborhood, just to make sure there aren't any copycats showing up._   
_I'm sorry to hear that about your mother. My sensei's wife left many years ago to live with the angels as well. Maybe the two of them know each other or maybe they even are friends now._   
_Let me know when your father allows you to go to school alone. I'll be watching over you then._   
_I love your Captain Ryan-pic. It is really beautiful. And I can't wait to see a picture of the Dauntless drawn by you. I bet it is going to be awesome._   
_You were afraid? No, Madelyn, you don't have to be afraid. Captain Ryan always finds a way out of tricky situations. That's why he is so awesome!_   
_April is your new babysitter? That's great! And yes, I would love if you, she and I can do something together. But our tea party comes first._   
_Can't wait to see you again!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

* * *

After Madelyn had finished her sandwich, she shifted the now empty plate a bit away and looked at April.

"April, can I borrow some letter paper and an envelope from you? I want to write my reply to Mr. Turtle," she asked.

"Of course you can," April answered.

"Do you have pink letter paper?" Madelyn asked further.

"I am afraid not, but I think it will be okay if you don't use pink letter paper this time." And with that April guided Madelyn to her room.

"Just wait here for a moment, okay?" April demanded with a smile and positioned herself in front of Madelyn. The little girl watched this with a frown on her face. What was going on here?

The next moment Leo climbed inside through the open window.

"Okay, April, what is so urgent that it can't wait till tomorrow?" he asked.

"That!" April said with a broad grin and stepped aside to reveal Madelyn.

The little girl squeaked with pleasure before she ran over to her Mr. Turtle and flung her arms around his shell as far as they reached.

"Madelyn?!" Leo asked unbelievingly, but when the little girl hugged him, he smiled, placed one hand on her back and stroked her head gently with the other.

He then looked at April, mouthing a "thank you". April just beamed at him.

"Okay," she said then, "you two have a lot of catching up to do. I'll leave you alone now."

And with that she left the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

With a sigh Mr. Dearing closed the front door of the building he worked in. This sure had been a hard day. He glanced at his watch. And a long day as well. With another sigh he started walking down the street, thinking about how April was doing with Madelyn and if his daughter had been nice. He was so lost in thought that when he crossed the street, he forgot to look left and right.

He only turned his head when he heard the screeching of brakes. And then he saw it – headlights! Close, very close, too close. He felt a push, and then everything went dark.

* * *

April closed her books. She had finally finished her homework. She glanced at the kitchen clock and frowned. It was getting late. Maybe she should tell Leo to leave because Mr. Dearing could show up any minute now. At least her aunt wasn't going to be home soon because she was meeting a friend after work. And this was the reason she had texted Leo to come over for a visit while Madelyn had been reading her letter.

A smile appeared on her face as she thought of how surprised and happy Leo and Madelyn had been.

That moment her phone rang. April looked at the number and picked up.

"Is work keeping you away longer, Mr. Dearing? Don't overwork yourself!" she scolded playfully, but then she suddenly turned serious. "What?"

Moments later she opened the door to her room where Madelyn and Leo were kneeling on the floor, laughing and chatting. They turned their heads to look at April, but the concerned look on April's face made Leo frown.

"April, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Madelyn, your father was involved in a car accident," April said.

Madelyn froze, looking at April in shock.

"Did Daddy go away to live with the angels?" she asked with tearful eyes.

April tried to get what that meant, and finally realized.

"Nononono!" she said quickly. "He is going to be okay, just a broken leg. But he hit his head and was unconscious for a little while. They want to make sure he is okay, so he has to stay at the hospital for the night."

"Daddy doesn't go away to live with the angels?" Madelyn asked.

"No, Madelyn," April assured her.

And the next moment Madelyn was hugging Leo so tightly the mutant turtle was glad he had a shell or otherwise the little girl might have broken a few ribs. Madelyn was crying so fiercely, her whole body was shaking with sobs.

"Don't go away, Daddy!" she sniveled. "Stay with me, Daddy! Don't go to Mommy!"

"No, Madelyn, your father is okay," Leo said, stroking her head, but the little girl didn't seem to hear and kept on sniveling and telling her father to stay with her.

* * *

April was sitting at the kitchen table when Leo entered the room.

"How is she doing?" the teenage girl asked.

"She has finally fallen asleep," Leo replied. "She kept on telling her father not to leave her alone."

"You told me she lost her mother when she was a baby," April said. "I bet the poor darling has separation anxiety."

"Guess so," Leo stated as he sat down next to her. "So what do we do now?"

"I am sure that my aunt is okay with Madelyn staying overnight," April said. "And tomorrow we will visit her father at the hospital. And then we will see from there." April shrugged. "That's all I came up with so far."

"Pretty good," Leo approvingly, then looked into the direction where April's room was. "Think she is going to be alright?"

"Of course," April said with an encouraging smile. "She is strong."

Leo looked at April again. "I hope you're right."

"I am _always_ right," the redhead replied with a smirk, trying to cheer Leo up with acting a bit cocky.

And this finally conjured a smile on Leo's face that had been so concerned just a moment ago.

And her success made April smile as well.


	10. Not Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her father’s accident Madelyn gets very clingy.

There was a knock on the door and Mr. Dearing got up from the couch and walked to the door on his crutches. The moment he opened the door Madelyn darted inside, flung her arms around his waist and hugged him as tight as her little girl's strength allowed her to do.

"Daddy, you're okay!" Madelyn gave a relieved sigh.

"Of course I am," Mr. Dearing replied, trying his best to keep his balance on the crutches without straining his leg in plaster.

Mr. Dearing turned to April who was standing outside, looking at him through the open door.

"Hello, April," he said with a smile. "Thanks for your help again."

"You are welcome," April replied.

"Don't you want to come in?" he asked the teenage girl, trying to gently relieve himself from Madelyn's hug, but the little girl was still hugging him so tightly with no attempt of ever letting go, and when Mr. Dearing realized that he choked a sigh.

"No, thanks, Mr. Dearing," April replied. "I have a bunch of homework to do and a test tomorrow, so sorry, but not today. When should Madelyn be picked up tomorrow morning?"

"At seven, like always," Mr. Dearing explained. "Thanks again, April! You have no idea how much you are helping me here."

"Don't mention it," April said. "My father was a single father as well. I somehow know how hard this must be."

"Was?" Mr. Dearing repeated. It was the first time April actually mentioned her father. "What happened to him?"

April lowered her eyes, fighting back the tears that were suddenly trying really hard to make their way to her eyes, but succeeded.

"He…disappeared," she finally said without looking at Mr. Dearing. "He didn't come back home one evening. We have no idea what happened to him. But I guess he has been kidnapped."

"I am sorry to hear that. But I am sure he is doing his best to come back to you," Mr. Dearing said and if he hadn't still been fighting hard to keep his balance he would have placed a reassuring hand on April's shoulder, but under the circumstances he had to limit himself to a reassuring smile.

April somehow must have felt it because she finally looked up, giving him a little smile in return.

"Anyway," April said, letting the subject of her disappeared father drop, "I'm coming to pick up Madelyn up tomorrow morning at seven. Got it. See you tomorrow, Mr. Dearing! Bye, Madelyn!"

The teenage girl waved at the little girl, but Madelyn didn't see it. She was still clinging to her father.

"Bye, April," she said, her voice muffled by her father's pullover because she was pressing her face against him.

April smiled once again and then turned around and left.

Mr. Dearing fortunately managed to close the door without losing his balance. He then gently pushed his daughter away, this time with a little more force.

"It's okay, Lynnie, you can let go now," he said.

Madelyn lifted her head to look at him and then hesitantly let go of him.

"Good girl," Mr. Dearing said with a smile.

He then walked to the kitchenette on his crutches. Madelyn followed him, watching his every move closely.

* * *

The next morning as April and Madelyn were on their way to Madelyn's school, the older girl had taken the younger one by the hand. It had again taken minutes to persuade Madelyn to let go of her father. April understood why Madelyn was so clingy right now, she understood it all too well. She just wished there was something she could do to make the little darling feel better. But all she could do right now was treating her like she usually did. And letting her know that she was there when Madelyn needed her.

Or maybe talking about a subject Madelyn really liked.

"So did Mr. Turtle and you have a good time back when you were at my place?" April asked.

"Yes," Madelyn answered. "We had a really great time. Until you told me that Daddy nearly had went away to live with the angels."

The teenage girl mentally slapped herself. _Now that was very smooth, April!_

"Did you write Mr. Turtle a letter yet?" she asked further.

"No," Madelyn replied. "I didn't have time. I have to watch over Daddy."

April gave the little girl's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I understand."

"Do you think Mr. Turtle does understand too?"

"I bet!" April replied.

Madelyn looked at her for a moment and gave her a little smile.

"You know, April, I always wonder when Mr. Turtle finds the time to write letters to me," Madelyn said then.

"Why's that?"

"Well, Mr. Turtle said he is a ninja, some sort of a superhero," the little girl explained. "And if he has to fight the bad guys every day, how does he have the time to write me?"

"You are very important to Mr. Turtle, Madelyn," April said. "He will always find time for you."

The little girl considered that for a moment, but then she turned to April again.

"Are you a superhero too, April?" she asked the teenage girl.

"You mean a ninja?"

Madelyn nodded.

"I am," the teenager said with a confident smile. "I am a kunoichi, to be precise. That's what a female ninja is called."

"And can I be a kuuuu…"

"…noichi."

"And can I be a ku…no…ichi as well?"

"If you want to, why not?" April smiled at the girl.

"I want to. What do I need to do?"

"Why don't you ask Mr. Turtle about that? He is a ninja for a longer time than I am, he knows more about this."

Madelyn nodded determinedly. "I will."

"But why do you want to be a ninja all of a sudden, Madelyn?" April asked curiously. "When I picked you up from after school-care that…day, you were only talking about unicorns and Mr. Turtle."

Madelyn's face turned serious and she furrowed her brow. "I want to protect Daddy," she said gravely.

April lowered her eyes for a moment, then she gave Madelyn's hand another squeeze and looked at her with a smile.

"I think you are going to be a great ninja."

"Really?" Madelyn looked at her gleefully. "Do you think I can have a pink suit?"

"A pink suit?"

"Yes, superheroes have suits, dummy!"

"Oh, yeah, sure." April chuckled.

"I want mine to be pink. And do you think I can have a belt with a lot of glitter? I love glitter!"

"Sure!" April beamed at the little girl. _A pink ninja with a glittering belt?_ She smirked at the thought.

Madelyn kept talking about how her superhero-suit would look like with sparkling eyes.

April just smiled at her, happy that the little girl seemed to have forgotten about her fears for a little while.

* * *

April was sitting at the window bench of her open window again, her little red radio at her feet, and listening to some music. She was thinking about Madelyn. Her chatting about what she would wear as a ninja/superhero had been lasting for their walk to Madelyn's school. But when April had picked the little girl up from after school-care she had been so serious again, and the first thing she had asked had been if her father was still here and hadn't left to live with the angels. April had appeased her with telling her that she had just talked to her father on the phone. This had worked, but the frown on Madelyn's face hadn't disappeared before she had seen her father. And again, the moment Mr. Dearing had opened the door Madelyn had been clinging to him.

April had wracked her brain what to do to make Madelyn feel better. She knew exactly what the little girl was going through. She herself had lost her father twice – first when he had been kidnapped by the Kraang, and second when he had been mutated, and this maybe meant she had lost him forever. She still had hopes that Donnie might find a cure, but for the moment her father was gone.

She thought of the time when her father had been back, when they had lived together again. It had been hard at the beginning. Her father had been disturbed by nightmares. She remembered the nights when he had woken up screaming and she had sprinted to his room to calm him down.

But she knew exactly why Madelyn had so many problems with separating from her father. She hadn't been able to leave Kirby alone for a few days either. She always had had to check if he had still been there, afraid all might have been a dream. She remembered the relief all too well when she had opened the door to the apartment and found her father sitting on the couch or preparing dinner in the kitchen. The first week she had hugged him just to make sure that he really had been there. So she knew how the little girl felt. But after a while April had realized that her father's return had been for real.

And this seemed to be the point Madelyn had problems with. She just couldn't believe her father was okay. She needed to see him to be sure about that. But given the fact that Madelyn was a seven-year-old girl and thus very young, maybe it wasn't so unusual after all. But Madelyn suffered when she was separated from her father, she was anxious and tensed, and April knew from Mr. Dearing that his daughter had problems falling asleep and woke up several times at night. He knew that because Madelyn always walked to his bed when she had woken up again to make sure he was still there. He himself was physically too restricted at the moment due to his crutches and the plaster to check on her. And the painkillers he had to take were contributing to make him an even tighter sleeper at the moment. But when Madelyn was standing at his bed he always woke up, smiled at her and told her to go back to sleep. And with a nod Madelyn always obeyed. But getting up at least three times a night couldn't be healthy for a little girl.

Even Madelyn's teacher, Mrs. Stenson, had realized and had called Mr. Dearing to ask why his daughter had been so tired during class the last days. Mr. Dearing had explained what had happened and Mrs. Stenson had again suggested Madelyn should see a child's therapist. This seemed to be the teacher's solution to everything, Mr. Dearing had mentioned to April. But this was out of the question for Madelyn. So something else needed to be done.

And this was the point April had been wracking her brain about for the entire evening now, but she still had no idea what could be done.

Suddenly April heard a thud, an all too familiar thud. She didn't even look who it was. She knew who it was, she just knew.

"Hi, Leo," she said.

"Hi, April," the mutant turtle replied. He had stopped wondering how April always knew when he or one of his brothers were around and who exactly it was. This ability was part of her as was her red hair or her love for the color yellow. "How are you doing?"

April sighed. "I'm thinking about Madelyn. I am worried, Leo," the teenage girl said as she turned to him. "She is so serious and anxious and I have no idea what I can do to make her feel better."

Leo lowered his eyes for a moment. "Still no improvement?" he sighed. "Did she at least…"

"No, Leo, she didn't write you a letter," April interrupted him, and Leo twisted his mouth at the fact that April had known what he had been about to say. Again. "She is too busy watching over her father. That's what she told me today. She even wants to become a ninja now to be able to protect him. Can you believe this?"

Leo nodded. "I can." It seemed to be the same reason he tried to become a better leader so that he could protect his brothers better when they were on a mission.

April thought about asking Leo what he meant by that but she somehow knew what this was about. She knew Leo's efforts to become a better leader. And she understood why he did that. And they were talking about Madelyn right now, so this matter had to wait.

"Is there something we can do?"

Leo frowned. "I don't know. I think all we can do is confirming her that we understand her, that we take her seriously." He shrugged. "I mean I know I understand her. And you know how she feels as well, don't you?"

April nodded. "All too well," she mumbled. "All too well."

When she said that, Leo placed a hand on her shoulder. He hadn't intended to open old wounds, but unfortunately, it was a fact. And when April looked up to him, he just smiled at her, and April returned his smile. It was a moment of silent understanding, a moment only good friends could share. And this thought alone made them feel better, at least a little bit.

* * *

Madelyn was lying in her bed, looking at the ceiling. She was listening to her father's silent snoring in the living room. This meant he was still there, but she was afraid he might go away to live with the angels later tonight. She pressed Ruffles McBearington closer to her chest and sighed. And then she heard it, a knock at the window. With a frown Madelyn got up, placing her teddy bear on her bed, but the frown quickly turned into a smile and she opened the window. Moments later Leo climbed inside.

"Mr. Turtle!" she cried out cheerfully and flung her arms around the mutant.

"Hello, Madelyn," Leo said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" the little girl asked.

"You didn't send me a new letter lately, so I thought I needed to check on you," Leo explained.

Madelyn lowered her eyes for a moment. "I have been busy. I need to watch over Daddy."

"I understand," Leo said and patted Madelyn's head. The little girl smiled at him. "But why are you still awake, Madelyn? It is late."

"I told you," Madelyn explained. "I need to watch over Daddy." She was silent for a moment in which Mr. Dearing's snoring could be heard. "Or listen over him," she added quickly.

"I see," Leo said. "How about we listen over your dad together?"

Madelyn nodded eagerly, and when Leo sat down on the floor, to his surprise Madelyn climbed his lap and leaned her head against his plastron. When Leo looked down on her he realized the girl had closed her eyes.

"You listening over Daddy tonight, Mr. Turtle?" Madelyn asked after a while, her voice suddenly sounding very tired.

"Of course," Leo answered.

"That's good," Madelyn mumbled half-asleep.

Leo flung his arms around her. When she felt his arms around her Madelyn pressed herself even closer to him, shifting into an even more comfortable position. One of her hands came to rest on Leo's shoulder.

"Can we stay like this for a while, Mr. Turtle?" Madelyn asked further.

"Sure," Leo said.

"Thank you, Mr. Turtle," Madelyn mumbled, followed by a little yawn.

"You're welcome." Leo looked down at the little girl again. "As long as you don't want me to I am not letting go." And with that he pressed a gentle kiss on Madelyn's head. He then leaned back, listening to her calm breaths. Who cared if he was getting any sleep tonight? Madelyn needed him, and he would never let her down.


	11. Finding A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Madelyn has a little fight at school, Leo gives her a piece of advice.

April was sprinting down the corridors of Madelyn's school, only slowing down to a swift pace when she heard approaching footsteps. But as soon as whoever was crossing her path was out of sight she started sprinting again. This was just a matter of keeping up appearances of the "No running in school's corridors"-rule.  
  
The moment she turned around the last corner she finally slowed down to a swift pace completely. And no second too soon, she realized. Mrs. Stenson was already waiting for her in front of the door to the room where after school-care was taking place. And where Madelyn was waiting for her.  
  
April took a deep breath when she set eyes on Mrs. Stenson.  
  
 _Remember_ , she said to herself, _if she's mentioning a child's therapist again, fight the urge to punch her, just nod and get to Madelyn as soon as possible._  
  
And with that she straightened up and walked over to Madelyn's teacher.

* * *

Madelyn was sitting at one of the tables in the back of the classroom, an open storybook in front of her, lazily leafing through it. But from her posture and the look on her face – and maybe thanks to some kunoichi-training – April could tell the little girl wasn't really paying attention to what was shown in the book. All she was doing was _pretending_ to be busy – and avoiding eye-contact.  
  
April walked over to her and knelt down next to her chair.  
  
"Hey there, Madelyn," she said with a smile.  
  
"Hello, April," Madelyn greeted her without looking up from her book. But that she had realized it was April next to her showed the teenage girl that Madelyn really was paying more attention to what was going on around her than to her storybook.  
  
"So, Mrs. Stenson told me you caused some trouble today," April continued.  
  
"Mm-hmm," Madelyn replied.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"Uh-uh."  
  
April gave a silent sigh. This wasn't going to work. But who could blame Madelyn? All the other kids around were secretly looking at them and talking in whispers. So maybe the best thing was to get Madelyn out of here.  
  
And with that thought April got up.  
  
"Get your things, Madelyn," she said mandatorily. "I'm bringing you home."  
  
Without looking up the little girl closed the storybook with a snap and got up to grab her schoolbag.

* * *

Out on the street Madelyn was still avoiding eye-contact. She though had allowed April to hold her by the hand, but that was it. She still wasn't talking, her eyes were lowered to the ground and her lips were a thin line because she was pressing them together as if she wanted to hold back any words ever to escape from her mouth.  
  
April frowned at the sight of the little girl.  
  
"You still don't want to talk about it?" she asked cautiously.  
  
Madelyn just shook her head.  
  
"So how about this? I tell you what I have been told by Mrs. Stenson and you just nod or shake your head to my questions," April suggested. "Technically, that's not talking, so it should be okay. Okay?"  
  
Madelyn nodded.  
  
"Good." April smiled down at her. "So, Mrs. Stenson has told me that you have bitten one of the boys. Is that true?"  
  
Madelyn nodded.  
  
"Did he say mean things?"  
  
Madelyn nodded again.  
  
"About you?"  
  
The little girl shook her head.  
  
"About your father?"  
  
Madelyn shook her head again.  
  
"About me?"  
  
Another shake of the head.  
  
"About one of your friends?"  
  
Madelyn nodded.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
Except for an answer Madelyn just glanced at April. "Oh, yeah, right," the teenage girl mumbled when she realized that hadn't been a question that could be answered with a nod or shake of the head.  
  
"Kathy?" April asked, remembering the name of one of Madelyn's friends.  
  
The little girl shook her head.  
  
"Uuuuuhhhmmmmm." _Great, April, now you're stuck_ , she scolded herself for not remembering any other names of Madelyn's friends.  
  
"Oh, geez, Madelyn, I'm so sorry," she finally said. "I can't remember all the names of your friends. Could you please help me here? I am so bad at guessing games. Sorry."  
  
Madelyn shot her another glance before she mumbled, "Mr. Turtle."  
  
"Mr. Turtle?" April asked in a surprised voice that drowned out the relieved ring that Madelyn finally was talking to her.  
  
"Yes," Madelyn confirmed. "I was drawing a picture of the Dauntless for Mr. Turtle. And Billy came and glanced over my shoulder and said that 'Space Heroes' was such a stupid show. And I said that it is Mr. Turtle's favorite TV show, and Billy said that Mr. Turtle was just as stupid then, and then I bit him in the arm."  
  
"I see." April looked at the little girl. "I can understand why you did that, but you know that it was wrong, don't you?"  
  
Madelyn just nodded.  
  
"Good. Mrs. Stenson said there was another boy involved."  
  
"Yes, Marcus," Madelyn confirmed. "Before Billy made fun of the show, Marcus said how nice my picture looked. But when I ran over to Billy to bite him, I think I knocked Marcus out of the way."  
  
"Did you apologize?"  
  
Madelyn shook her head.  
  
"Well, you have to," April said. "Sure, Billy seems to be a jerk, but biting him was wrong, so you have to apologize. And Marcus didn't do anything wrong. If you promise me that the next time Billy's a jerk, you just go to ignore him and apologize to Billy and Marcus tomorrow, we don't need to tell your dad about this, okay?"  
  
Madelyn nodded. "I promise."  
  
"Good." April gave Madelyn's hand a squeeze. "Sooooo," she then said with a smile. "Is Marcus a friend of yours?"  
  
"No," Madelyn replied. "He is…weird. He's always for himself, never talks to anyone. He's just doing his homework and reading. I didn't even know he likes 'Space Heroes'."  
  
"But now you know," April replied. "Maybe he likes Space Heroes just as much as you do. Why don't you talk about the show with him?"  
  
"Because he's weird."  
  
"And you have talked so much to him that you know that for sure?"  
  
Madelyn shook her head. "I have never talked to him before."  
  
"So how do you know then?"  
  
"The other kids say…"  
  
"One of the other kids says that 'Space Heroes' is a stupid show. Is he right?" April asked.  
  
Madelyn shook her head.  
  
"So maybe they are wrong about Marcus as well," April went on.  
  
"Yes," Madelyn said. "Maybe."

* * *

When Leo arrived at the fire escape in front of April's open window, the teenage girl waved at him with one of Madelyn's pink letters.  
  
"I have no idea what you did the other day," April said with a smile, "but it worked. Madelyn is a little bit less clingy, and she finally found the time to write you."  
  
"I really didn't do anything," Leo replied, taking the letter from her. "Just letting her know that I am there when she needs me."  
  
"Well, it worked," April assured. "She even had a little fight back at school today."  
  
"She had what?!" Leo blinked a few times.  
  
"Someone called her Mr. Turtle stupid, and Madelyn bit him," April told him.  
  
"I know I shouldn't be, but I am somehow proud of her," Leo said with a smirk.  
  
"I know what you mean," the teenage girl replied. "I was too, because it means that she has her energy back. But still, she needs to learn that violence is not the answer."  
  
"No worries, I will tell her that." Leo shrugged. "I guess I am kind of used to it after having to deal with Raph's anger issues for fifteen years now."  
  
April raised a brow. "I thought it has gotten better after he made friends with Casey."  
  
"It has. And he kept pretty calm after he lost Spike. Thought that would at least make him lose his temper more easily, but I was mistaken. I guess what Slash had said about anger had made him thinking, but we are talking about Raph here."  
  
April thought about that for a moment. "You have a point," she finally said.  
  
Leo stuffed the letter under his belt. "I better get going," he said. "After staying away from the lair until morning the other day nearly got me grounded. And now sensei and my brothers watch me even more closely. It took me fifteen minutes and all my powers of persuasion to get permission to visit you."  
  
"Well, then better get going, fearless leader," April said to him with a wink.  
  
Leo chuckled. "Bye, April!" And with that he waved at her and left.

* * *

 _Dear Mr. Turtle,_  
  
 _Thank you so much for listening over Daddy the other night. I slept well and now I feel so much better. And I think Daddy is better too._  
 _I talked to April about you being a ninja, and she said she is a ninja too. She used another word, but I forgot what it was. It's complicated. I asked her if I can be a ninja too, and she said I should ask you about that. So can I? I really want to be a ninja and have a pink superhero-suit with a glittering belt. Can you help me with that? As a superhero I can watch over Daddy easilier._  
 _I had a little fight at school today. Billy said that 'Space Heroes' is a stupid show and when I said that it is your favorite show, he said that you are just as stupid. And the next thing I know is that I bit him in the arm. I promised April to apologize tomorrow and next time he says mean things just ignore him, but I don't know how to do that. Should I just cover my ears or how else do I ignore him? Do you know how to do that?_  
 _I accidently knocked another boy over when I ran over to Billy, and I am going to apologize to him tomorrow for that. He seems to like 'Space Heroes', so April asked if he and I were friends. We are not. He is weird, always reading and never talking to anyone. April said I should try to talk to him because he and I both like 'Space Heroes'. My other friends in school know the show, but they aren't big fans like me. I can only talk about 'Space Heroes' with you._  
 _I drew you a new picture. It's the Dauntless, and this time the picture turned out the way I wanted it._  
 _Did you watch more 'Unicornia'-episodes? I watched the one where Sweetie Smile babysits Chocolate Twirl and Little Cheese Cake again yesterday. It reminded me that April is my babysitter now, but I am not so difficult and I don't cause so much trouble as the baby unicorns do._  
 _I really like April. Do you think I can draw a picture for her? Will she like that? And what kind of picture?_  
 _I hope to see you again soon, Mr. Turtle._  
  
 _Yours,_  
 _Madelyn_  
  
 _A pink ninja?_ Leo chuckled at the thought. Then he got up and added Madelyn's latest masterpiece to his Space Heroes-wall. He admired it for a moment, but then started thinking about what to reply to Madelyn. This was a bit more difficult than usual, now that she had asked for some advice.

* * *

 _Dear Madelyn,_  
  
 _I am glad you are feeling better and that your father is better too._  
 _The word you were looking for is kunoichi. It's a female ninja. So you want to become a ninja too? I maybe can help you with that. Let's talk about this next time we meet, okay?_  
 _If Billy said 'Space Heroes' is stupid I'd say he is stupid. It's a great show!_  
 _So you lost your temper today? This can happen to all of us. Mr. Red has problems with that all the time. Our father gave him a good advice how to deal with insults. Just let these words wash over you like a river over stone. Take a deep breath next time you are getting angry, and don't pay attention on what Billy says. If you have problems with that concentrate on something else, so you can blind out his words more easily. Tell me if this works for you, okay? If not, we have to find something else. And if you get so angry next time that you want to bite him again, just leave the room. Violence never is the answer._  
 _And there is something else that helped Mr. Red a lot to deal with his bad temper. He found a new friend, one with whom he has a lot in common. He didn't see it first, but when they spent some time together he realized he and his new friend were a lot alike._  
 _Maybe you should try this too. You said this one boy likes 'Space Heroes' too. And I have to agree with April on this one. Just talk to him. That he prefers to be on his own doesn't make him weird. It just makes him a little different. And if you talk to him and find out you don't like him, that's okay too. And if you like him that's even better because then you have someone beside me to talk about this great show._  
 _Your Dauntless-picture is so beautiful! I really like it!_  
 _I watched the babysitting-episode last week. It was so funny! Poor Sweetie Smile!_  
 _I can imagine that you aren't as difficult as the baby unicorns. On the contrary, I bet April has a lot of fun when she looks after you._  
 _I am sure she would love it if you draw her a picture. How about you and her in your superhero-suits? Is that a good idea?_  
 _I can't wait to see you again!_  
  
 _Yours,_  
 _Mr. Turtle_  
  
With a frown Madelyn tucked the letter away. She was sitting in the reading corner in the after school-care-room again, and she now carefully glanced over to Marcus who was sitting at a table and reading a comic.  
  
As promised she had apologized to him – and to Billy for that matter, although she had barely opened her mouth when she had said sorry to this meanie – and Marcus had just given her a little smile and said that it was okay. That had been yesterday, and she and he hadn't talked ever since. Her frown grew a little deeper as she watched him closely. And then she got up, her movement all resolute, and marched over to him.  
  
When Marcus lifted his head to look at her as she came to a halt next to him, Madelyn stiffened a bit. But then she remembered what Mr. Turtle and April had said, and yes, she was going to try this. If finding a new friend has helped Mr. Red, maybe it would help her as well.  
  
"Whosyourfavoritespaceheroscharacter?" she asked quickly.  
  
Marcus raised a brow, but then he beamed at her. "Captain Ryan!"


	12. Leo’s Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo is acting weird for a while now, so his brothers try to find out what is going on, and so Mikey is put on Leo-guard.

Humming a random melody which just accidentally had some resemblance with the Unicornia-show's theme song, Leo walked down the corridor, headed for his room. He didn't seem to notice that his brothers had popped out their heads from the kitchen and had watched him closely. They shared a glance and then got back into the kitchen, gathering around the table.

Mikey leaned over the table, looking at his brothers conspiratorially. "Guys," he whispered. "I think Leo has a girlfriend."

"Suuuuuure," Raph drawled and rolled his eyes. "We've through that, Mikey. Leo has no girlfriend. Now cut it out."

His younger brother just twisted his mouth.

"But something is definitely wrong with him," Raph announced then, banging his fist on the table. "I have no problem with him being all happy and such – okay, no big problem, to be honest –, but this can't be normal. He was humming the theme song of a cartoon show for little girls!"

"How do you know that?" Mikey asked. A broad grin appeared on his face. "Do you watch little girls' cartoons?" he added teasingly.

Raph's face fell for a second. "No!" he retorted angrily.

"Then how do you know it was the theme song of a little girls' cartoon?" Mikey went on, the grin of his face growing even broader.

"I might have unintentionally watched a bit of it while I was zapping through the channels! And now shut up or I make you shut up!" He banged his fist on the table again to emphasize his thought and shot Mikey such an angry glance, the youngest turtle backed away a little with a gulp.

"The point is," Raph continued in a less angry voice, "Leo's not acting normal. He is spending too much time in his room, doing whatever on his laptop, and he is going out all by himself quite often recently. Heck, he even stayed away nearly all night a few days ago. This is so not Leo!"

"I am sticking to my girlfriend-idea," Mikey said. "He is all up on cloud nine, grinning and such. Definitely found a girlfriend."

"Or maybe he is a robot," Donnie interposed. He knew it wasn't true. He even knew the girlfriend-idea wasn't true. Actually, he was the only one who knew what really was going on here, but he had promised April to not tell anyone, so all he could do right now was playing along.

"You think he's some sort of a Footbot?" Mikey asked with a gasp. "That's terrible! How could they turn him into a robot? Poor Leo! He would never be able to taste pizza again!"

Donnie slapped his hand against his forehead.

"No," he said as he turned back to Mikey. "What I meant is that he might have been _replaced_ by a robot. You know, the Foot captured Leo and then sent a robot that looks exactly like him to us."

"The Foot captured Leo?! We gotta save him!"

"Mikey, that was just an assumption!"

"We gotta save him nonetheless!"

Donnie slapped his hand against his forehead again. "MIKEY!"

"Yes? Ouch!"

Mikey rubbed the back of his head where Raph had slapped him.

"We don't know if Leo is a robot yet. I'm just saying he _could_ be," Donnie continued. "Although I don't think they would have been able to capture him and send a robot here when he went topside alone. They don't know where our lair is since we destroyed all of the Footbots that made their way here when they were following Casey the other day. But they could have replaced him during one of our training runs."

"So how do we find out if it's the real Leo or not? Prick his arm with a needle to see if he's bleeding?" Raph asked, then raised a brow. "Can I do that?" he added with a smirk.

"Okay," Mikey said to him. "We ambush him on the way to the dojo, and Donnie and I hold him down, and you prick his arm." Mikey nodded determinedly. "This should work. Okay, guys, come on! Let's make this robot talk!"

Donnie choked a sigh. Maybe it had been a bad idea to bring that robot-topic up. He had to think of something else to keep Leo's secret.

"You know what, Mikey," he finally said. "I think we should start all over again. This is getting out of hand."

"Okay!" Mikey leaned in closer to his two brothers. "Guys," he said in a whisper. "I think Leo has a girlfriend."

Donnie tried really hard, but he lost the fight, and thus slapped his hand against his forehead once more. And since it was the third time within a few minutes, it hurt a bit, and Donnie hissed silently.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Thank you so much for your advice! Billy kept calm recently. He just nodded when I apologized. I think he is a little afraid that I can bite him again now. Suits him well for calling you stupid. But next time he says mean things I try to ignore him and take a deep breath, and if I get angry again, leave the room. We will see if it helps._   
_I acted on your advice regarding Marcus too. I was a bit nervous, but I did well. I asked him who his favorite 'Space Heroes'-character is, and he said it is Captain Ryan. And then we talked about the show and Captain Ryan until April came to pick me up._   
_I am happy you like the Dauntless-picture. I will draw a new picture for you after I finished the one for April. I started drawing it today. I so hope she likes it! But it's not finished yet. As you suggested, I draw her and me as superheroes. It's a bit difficult because I can't decide what our suits should look like, but I will come up with something._   
_Yes, I want to be a kunoichi one day. I can watch over Daddy better when I am one, don't you think? And it would be great if you could help me with that._   
_Yes, Sweetie Smile is going through a lot during this episode. But it is so funny! Most of the episodes with Sweetie Smile in it are superfunny. Just like the one where she entered the Make Everyone Laugh!-contest. It's another one of my favorite episodes._   
_April told me today that she asked Daddy if I could stay at her place for the weekend. Her aunt is out of town on Saturday and Sunday, and Daddy agreed. I first had my doubts if it would be okay to leave Daddy alone for two days, but Daddy promised he will call three times a day, so I agreed. And this means we could meet on the weekend! We can have a tea party together with April! And we can play 'Go Fish'. That's my favorite card game. What do you think? I so hope it will work for you._   
_Oh, and if you can make it, can you bring Mrs. Sparkling Hair with you? I would love to see her again._

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo placed the letter in the drawer of his bedside table. He frowned as he realized it was getting really stuffed in there. _Poor Mrs. Sparkling Hair!_  
He then froze for a second. _Have I really just thought that?_ He shrugged. _Guess so._

Maybe he should find another hiding place for the doll. Or sleeping berth, like he would tell Madelyn. But first he needed to reply to her letter.

* * *

When Leo left the lair later, telling his sensei and his brothers that he was doing a training run and would be back in an hour, he had no idea he was being followed.

Mikey gave a little sigh as he climbed the fire escape of a building, secretly following his oldest brother. Why had it always be him who had to do this kind of stuff? Every time they put it on a vote who should do something, he was voted over. How was that even possible? Shouldn't there be a fifty-fifty chance someone else was voted? But no, Raph and Donnie had voted for him while he had voted for Raph. So he ended up on the following Leo-duty.

Okay, this was somehow logical to him, but how on earth had Donnie been able to talk him into taking over his cleaning-duty for a week? He remembered Donnie mentioning something about giving him a slice of pizza if he did something, and Mikey had instantly agreed. Turned out this _something_ must have been Donnie's cleaning duty.

With another sigh Mikey pulled out a spy-glass to keep sight of Leo as he was following him over the rooftops at some distance.

When Leo stopped at April's apartment building, Mikey stopped on the rooftop of another building, hiding in the shadows, but still watching Leo closely with the spy-glass.

So he watched how the blue-clad turtle swung down on the fire escape and met their human friend.

Now this was odd. Why would Leo meet April without telling them? He thought of his idea that Leo may have found a girlfriend again. Could April be that girlfriend? Mikey thought about it. But as far as he could tell they were only talking. Maybe he should be sure about that before he told Raph and Donnie, especially Donnie. He didn't want his genius-brother to end up heartbroken.

When Leo left April to get back to the lair half an hour later, Mikey was already gone.

* * *

When Madelyn entered the day-care-room the next day, Marcus was running up to her.

"Hey, Madelyn!" he said cheerfully. "Have you watched the episode I told you about yesterday?"

"I have! It was awesome!" Madelyn replied just as cheerfully.

"Didn't you just love the scene with Crankshaw and Dr. Mindstrong?" the boy asked further as he and Madelyn walked over to the reading corner.

"I did!" Madelyn replied as she put her schoolbag down, opened it, and took Mr. Turtle's letter out.

"I hate to put you off, Marcus," she then said as she sat down. "But I need to read Mr. Turtle's letter, before we can talk."

"No problem." Marcus said with a smile. "I'll read my comic then. Oh, and greetings to Mr. Turtle in your next letter, okay?"

"Sure!" Madelyn answered as she yanked the letter open. "But I am going to see him on the weekend hopefully."

"Okay, then tell him in person," Marcus said, still smiling as he sat down on one of the cushions opposite Madelyn and took his comic book in hand.

"I will!" the little girl assured before she started reading.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I'm really proud of you that you apologized to Billy and Marcus. Apologizing to Billy especially must have been hard, but it was the right thing to do. I hope Billy is going to leave you alone._   
_See? Now you found someone else you can talk about 'Space Heroes' with. I'm glad._   
_I am sure you are going to draw something awesome and that you will come up with some great looking superhero-suits. And April is going to love it! Pretty sure about that!_   
_Let's talk about you becoming a kunoichi on the weekend, okay?_   
_I haven't watched the episode about the Make Everyone Laugh!-contest yet, but I am going to watch it before the weekend, so we can talk about it._   
_And of course we can have a tea party with April and play 'Go Fish'. It's one of my favorite card games as well, but it has been a while since I played it. So I can't wait! But I have to warn you. I am really good at it, and I won't let you win just because you are a little girl, okay?_   
_I already talked to my father and it is okay that I come over on Saturday and Sunday evening. I just can't stay too long. He is still a bit angry because I stayed away nearly the whole night when I was listening over your father the other night._   
_Of course I can bring Mrs. Sparkling Hair! I think she misses you, but she would never admit it._   
_See you on the weekend, Madelyn!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

* * *

At Saturday evening April was kneeling at the coffee table with her laptop in front of her on the table top, doing her homework.

Leo and Madelyn were in the back of the living room, sitting on the floor on some cushions and playing Go Fish. Mrs. Sparkling Hair was sitting next to Leo, Ruffles McBearington next to Madelyn.

They already had had a little tea party with April, but then the teenage girl had told them that she had a bunch of homework to do and left them alone. She still listened to their chatter now and then, though.

"Madelyn, please give me all your 5s," Leo said to the little girl as April looked over to them with a smile.

"I don't have any!" Madelyn said.

"You sure?" Leo asked.

"Yes!" Madelyn giggled.

"You're lying!" Leo said.

"No, I am not!" Madelyn giggled again.

Leo placed his set of cards on the floor and leaned over to tickle Madelyn until she was laughing so hard, she twisted her hand in which she was holding her cards in, so Leo could glance at them.

He smirked when he spotted two 5s.

"And what is that?" he said while he continued tickling her.

"I don't know!" Madelyn laughed.

"Cheater!" Leo chuckled.

That moment April's phone rang, the teenage girl looked at the display to check who it was, and then picked up with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Dearing!" she greeted Madelyn's father as she got up and walked over to the window, opened it and leaned on the window bench. She took a deep breath of cool night air.

"Oh, she is doing fine!" April assured. "You hear her laughing, don't you?"

"The male voice?" she said then after a little while, obviously answering a question of Mr. Dearing. "That's…uhm…my boyfriend," she explained. "He and Madelyn are playing Go Fish, and they are having a good time."

April had no idea that someone was listening to her words. Up on the rooftop Mikey had been on Leo-guard since Leo had entered the apartment.  
With a fierce nod he stepped backwards.

_I knew it! Leo has a girlfriend!_ , the youngest turtle thought. He still was a bit surprised that April was this girlfriend. But now April had said it herself. She had called Leo her boyfriend. He couldn't wait to tell Raph that he had been right. But how on earth was he going to tell Donnie?


	13. Playing Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Mikey and Raph tell Donnie about their assumption that Leo and April are a couple, he decides to play along.

April was walking down the street with a happily babbling Madelyn. As always she was holding the little girl by the hand, but something was different about the teenage girl today. She didn't smile and stared in the distance now and then, her thoughts drifting off to a topic she had been able to avoid the past week. Having to have taking care of Madelyn, bringing her to school, picking her up, babysitting her, meeting her mutant friends, tutoring Casey, and a bunch of homework plus a lot of voluntary school projects she had happened to have interest in just now, had been keeping her busy, but she knew that it had only been a matter of time until she couldn't avoid the obvious any longer.

She had long lost track of what Madelyn was talking about. She had tried really hard to keep listening, but had failed miserably. And now all that had remained was this one question: What was she? She knew now she wasn't fully human, she was part human, part alien, part mutant, she was some kind of a strange mix of strange creatures and had just happened to end up human-looking.

_Yeah, lucky me_ , she thought with a silent grunt.

These news about her origin had turned her world upside down. Again. What exactly was she going to do now? Keep pretending she was fully human even if she wasn't? Keep to make her life look normal – or as normal as possible?

April lowered her head for a moment. She had no idea what she should do. Heck, she even had no idea who she was any longer.

"April?" Madelyn asked, and when the redhead didn't react, she repeated more forcefully, "April!"

This made her friend snap out of her trance.

"What is it, Madelyn?" she asked quickly.

"You weren't listening!" Madelyn said with a pout.

"I'm sorry, Madelyn," April said, squeezing the little girl's hand a little. "What were you talking about?"

"I was talking about our awesome weekend, how Mr. Turtle saw through my cheating when we were playing Go Fish, and how great the tea party was and…" Madelyn looked at April again who was staring in the distance again. "…and you aren't listening again!" the little girl added reproachfully.

April flinched, snapping out of her thoughts again, and looked at Madelyn. "I…I am so sorry, Madelyn!"

"What's wrong, April?" the little girl asked. "Usually, you are listening to whatever I say, but not today. What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Liar!"

"Okay, okay," April gave in. " _Something_ happened. But I can't talk about it right now, okay?"

"Okay."

"I will tell you eventually, promise!"

"Okay."

Madelyn was still watching her with a frown.

They walked in silence for a moment, April wracking her brain of what to do now. She hadn't missed the disappointed ring in Madelyn's voice, and she really wanted to talk to her. But she couldn't think about a topic, since the topic about her origin was so overly on the spot in her head right now. But maybe she could talk about it without giving away too much and scaring Madelyn. The teenage girl gave a light nod. Maybe this would work.

"Madelyn, can I…can I ask you a question?" she finally asked.

The girl gave a fierce nod.

"Do you think Mr. Turtle is weird?" April asked. "I mean, what he looks like, what he is. Is that…is that weird?"

"Not at all." Madelyn shook her head. "That's Mr. Turtle. If he didn't look like he does he wouldn't be Mr. Turtle."

"And you like him even if he is a giant talking turtle?"

"I like him because he's Mr. Turtle. Like I like you because you're April." Madelyn smiled at her babysitter.

"You know what?" April said, returning the smile. "For such a little girl you are pretty wise."

Madelyn beamed. "I got that from a 'Unicornia'-episode," she explained. "Where Sweetie Smile wanted to be friends with a sea pony, and all her friends were against it because sea ponies are different from unicorns. And Sweetie Smile said, 'I don't care. I like her because she is her. I don't care what she is.' That was so cute!"

April chuckled silently. Had she really just been taught a lesson from a little girl referring to a TV show? But on the other hand, this didn't make it any less true.

She gave Madelyn's hand another squeeze as the girl kept talking about unicorns, sea ponies, and her favorite episodes, and this time April really was listening.

* * *

Mikey was standing inside his room, his cheek pressed against the door, and listening closely. He was waiting for a special sound, the tromping of big, most of the time angry feet that echoed through the corridor when the turtle to whom these feet belonged didn't care about his ninja skills and/or if anyone could hear him or not.

The youngest turtle grinned when he finally could hear what he had been waiting for and opened the door. He popped his head out and looked over to Raph who obviously was on his way to his own room.

"Raph!" he whispered, and when his older brother looked at him with a frown, Mikey waved him over and inside his room. Once Raph was inside, Mikey quickly shut the door again. Then he walked over and came to a hold in front of Raph, his arms crossed over his chest, and grinning broadly at his older brother.

Raph just raised a brow.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Mikey, or do you just want to show me that you could stand around looking like an idiot?" the red-clad turtle asked. "Because if the latter is the case, I already knew that."

Mikey drooped his arms immediately, and his grin turned into a twisted mouth.

"Haha, very funny," he said flatly, but then the grin appeared back on his face and he straightened up.

"But actually, there is something I wanted to tell you," he said, his grin growing even broader now, so that it was a miracle to Raph how this grin could still fit into Mikey's face.

And the grin grew a few inches broader when Mikey said, "I. Was. Right."

"Come again?" Raph asked surprised.

"Sure," Mikey replied. "I. Was. Right."

"I heard that!" Raph retorted, his voice suddenly a bit angry. "Right about what?!"

"About Leo," Mikey clarified. "He has a girlfriend."

His brother's eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Mikey nodded.

"How is that even possible? Please tell me, it's not Karai!"

"It's not Karai."

"Now that's a relief!"

"It's April."

Raph's eyes widened even more now at Mikey's words, and he blinked a few times. But then his face turned serious again as he spoke to his brother.

"Mikey, I've always thought you were stupid," he said. "But I was wrong."

Mikey laughed self-confidently. "About time you figured that out."

Raph took a deep breath before he yelled at his brother, "You are completely insane!"

Mikey twisted his mouth again, looking at his brother, his eyes full of hurt.

"I am not!" he finally said. "April said it herself!"

"She did?" Raph asked.

"She did!" Mikey assured him. "I heard it with my own ears."

Raph lowered his eyes. "That's a mess."

"I know," Mikey agreed. "How do we tell Donnie?"

Raph looked at him for a second, then lowered his eyes again. "I wish I knew."

"You should know!" Mikey said. "You are the one who told him he has no shot with April! You know how to say these kinda things!"

"I was just saying what was on my mind. And it was wrong! It made Donnie go on a mission all by himself. He could have gotten killed! And I made up for it! I have no idea how to tell him that!"

"But we have to tell him!"

"I know!"

* * *

Later that evening there was a silent knock at the door of Donnie's lab.

Donnie was working on his latest invention, sitting at his worktable and screwing some pieces together.

"Come in!"

There was something wrong about the approaching footsteps. Donnie knew it was his brothers, two of them, to be precise, but something in the way how they were setting their feet on the ground was so not like them. He lifted his head and looked over to them, only to set eyes on Raph and Mikey who looked very uncomfortable. They were avoiding eye-contact as they walked over to their genius brother.

"Uhm…Donnie…there…uhm…is something…we need to…uhm…tell you," Mikey said as he nudged Raph.

"Exactly!" Raph confirmed. "And Mikey is going to tell you."

"Who? Me?" Mikey asked confused.

"Is there another Mikey present?" Raph asked.

"Why? Do you see another Mikey here?" Mikey asked back.

There was a loud smack to be heard as Raph slapped his brother on the back of his head.

Mikey rubbed the aching spot and looked angrily at his older brother.

"Now tell him!" Raph commanded between gritted teeth.

"No, you tell him!" Mikey said between gritted teeth as well.

"Tell him or I swear I'm gonna slap the green off you!"

Mikey looked at Raph as if to make sure if his brother was serious, but Raph's burning-with-anger eyes admitted no doubt. Raph really was going to hit him if he didn't tell Donnie now.

"Okay," he mumbled as he turned to Donnie. "See, Donnie, I found out why Leo is acting so weird. And I was right." He beamed at his brother for a moment as if he wanted to say, _Can we please savor this moment when I was right?_ "Leo has a girlfriend," he added then.

But after that the grin disappeared from Mikey's face and he lowered his eyes when he went further with his explanation. "And this girlfriend is April," he mumbled.

Donnie blinked as he mentally repeated what Mikey had just said. April, Leo's girlfriend? He knew for sure that wasn't true. He had jumped to his conclusion himself a while back. But his brothers seemed to think that really was true. And he had promised April not to give away Leo's secret. So what should he do now?

_Play along_ , he said to himself. That was pretty much all he could do.

"Oh." He lowered his eyes as well, giving his voice an extra-sad ring. "Is that so?"

"No, Donnie, don't cry!" Mikey burst out and hugged his brother tightly.

"I'm not gonna cry!" Donnie said angrily until he realized that had sounded way too angrily for a depressed and heartbroken person. "I mean, I want to be alone right now," he added in the saddest voice he could come up with. "Okay?"

"Okay," Mikey replied as he let go of Donnie. "But if there's something we can do to make you feel better, just let us know, okay?"

"Well, it would help if you two could take over my kitchen-cleaning-duty for today," Donnie replied. "It would give me more time to get a hold on myself."

"Will do!" Mikey pointed at his brother with his finger and winked at him with an encouraging smile.

Donnie replied with what he thought was a weak smile, and watched how Mikey and Raph left the room. And when he heard retreating footsteps, he turned back to his invention and resumed his work.

"And the award goes to…" he whispered with a smirk.

* * *

Leo didn't know anything about this. He was sitting on his bed, Madelyn's latest letter on his lap, and reading.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_The weekend was awesome! I hope we can do this again soon. I was a bit worried about Daddy, but he kept his promise and called three times a day, and when April brought me home on Sunday evening he was awaiting us at the door. I think his broken leg is finally getting better. He has to go to the hospital tomorrow, and the doctors will tell him if he can do without a plaster now or not. I so hope they will remove his plaster and we can finally go for walks again! I love going for walks with April, but I miss my walks with Daddy._   
_I finally decided what April's and my superhero-outfits should look like. I will start drawing it after I finished this letter._   
_You really are a great Go Fish-player. Daddy never saw through my cheating. I always win when he and me play Go Fish. But I beated you without cheating two times. This is even better than winning with cheating!_   
_We were so busy playing Go Fish and having tea parties and talking about 'Unicornia', we completely forgot to talk about me becoming a superhero. Can we talk about it next time we meet?_   
_Billy tried to tease me again today, but I wasn't listening, and so he went away after a while. It worked to think of something else! That was the moment I decided what April's and my superhero-outfits should look like._   
_April was a bit upset when she brought me to school today. Do you know what is going on? Can I help her?_   
_Mrs. Sparkling Hair asked me to tell you that she is thankful you left her at April's so she, me, and Ruffles McBearington can spend the Sunday together, but now she wants to go back to your place. She really likes living there. And I think she likes you too._   
_I hope to see you again soon!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo sighed silently when he read the part about Mrs. Sparkling Hair. So much for _accidentally_ leaving the doll with Madelyn. He had hoped she would take the doll back, so he didn't have to think about a new hiding place since it was getting harder and harder to close the drawer with all the letters stuffed in there. It was easier now that the doll wasn't in the drawer as well, but it looked like he had to take Mrs. Sparkling Hair back. Obviously, he really had to find a new hiding place for the doll. Gosh, it had been hard enough to take the doll to April's unseen. His brothers had wondered why he suddenly had needed a messenger bag while doing one of his solo training runs. He had told them that it was part of his training. They had bought it. And hopefully they would buy it again. And with that thought he took out his letter paper and started writing.


	14. The Truth Behind Leo’s Weird Behavior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Raph and Mikey confront Leo, the truth about what he has been doing the last weeks is revealed.

Leo was on his way back to the lair. He had just brought his latest letter to April, though it had taken him a bit longer than usual to write it. Madelyn had asked about April being upset and Leo hadn't been sure how much of April's secret he could tell. But he was pretty happy with what he had come up with.

Humming silently – and again, the melody had some resemblance with the 'Unicornia'-theme song, accidentally, of course – he climbed down into the sewers' tunnels and marched his way back to the lair, casually resting one hand on the messenger bag's shoulder strap.

He had thought of leaving Madelyn's doll at April's for a little longer, but the fact that Madelyn could be at April's apartment again soon and that seeing her favorite still there and not with her Mr. Turtle could upset her, had put him off doing so. Despite, now was as good a time as ever to get the doll back.

He had just entered the corridor to his room when he was grabbed from behind and dragged into Mikey's room. It happened so fast, all he could do was react with a yelp. _Quite a ninja you are, Leonardo._

Once in Mikey's room Leo looked around only to set eyes on Mikey and Raph who were looking at him quite angrily and accusingly.

"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!" Raph yelled at him which made Leo back away until his back was against the closed door.

"Now, Raph, calm down," Mikey said to his red-clad brother as he placed a calming hand on Raph's shoulder. "Leave this to someone who can stay calm under such adverse conditions, okay?"

Raph glared at Mikey for a second, then crossed his arms over his chest, lowering his angry burning eyes to the ground. "Okay," he mumbled.

"Good boy!" Mikey said to him with a broad smile, and then turned to Leo.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO DONNIE?!" he shouted at his oldest brother. "DO YOU HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA HOW SAD HE IS RIGHT NOW?!"

The volume and angriness of Mikey's voice was so unusual for the youngest turtle, it made Leo jump a little. And even Raph shot a surprised look at his little brother.

Leo looked at his brothers wide-eyed. "What are you talking about?"

"You and April!" Mikey said angrily.

"Me and April?" Leo's eyes grew even wider with surprise now.

"Yeah! We know you two are a couple!"

"April and I are a couple?" Leo blinked a few times. What the heck was going on here?

"There's no use in denying it!" Mikey went on, pointing at Leo. "She said it herself!"

"April said I was her boyfriend?"

"She did!"

"When?"

"When you were over at her place. I heard her saying it when I was following you!"

"You were following me?"

"Stop parroting, Leo!" Mikey's voice sounded even angrier now. "This is serious!"

"But it's not true!" Leo defended himself.

"How can it not be true?" Mikey asked. "You are meeting April without telling us, you are staying at her place, you were gone for nearly the whole night the other day! How can this not be a sign of you having a girlfriend?!"

"Because it's not true," Leo replied. "April is not my girlfriend. I don't have a girlfriend!"

"Ha!" Raph burst out, looking at Mikey with a broad grin. "What was that about you being right?"

Mikey just growled. Then he turned back to Leo.

"But what else is going on then?" he asked.

"I can't tell you, okay?" the turtle in blue said as he readjusted the shoulder strap of his bag. "It's a secret."

And with that he turned around and wanted to leave the room, but Mikey grabbed his bag and was pulling on it in order to hold him back. "You're not going anywhere before you tell me what's going on!"

Leo quickly turned around, grabbing the messenger bag as well and tried really hard to wrest it from Mikey's grip, but there was one thing for sure: When Michelangelo had laid his hands on something he would never let go. It had always been like that, even when they were children.

Raph was just watching them in not so well hidden amusement until the bag's fastening gave in and a doll fell out of the bag. Raph's eyes widened in surprise, and even Mikey froze in his movements and stared down at the doll. Leo looked in shock from the doll to each of his brothers, then took advantage of Mikey being frozen and snatched his bag away from him. Then he knelt down, gently took the doll in his hand and put it back into the bag.

"Okay, this is getting weirder and weirder," Raph finally said. "First, you are humming the theme-song of a little girls' cartoon, and now you are playing with dolls?" He turned to his brother with an earnest look. "Seriously, Leo, what is going on here?"

With a sigh Leo got back on his feet and swung the messenger's bag shoulder strap over his shoulder again. He looked from Raph to Mikey and back to Raph.

_Okay, if I am not going to come up with a believable story in three seconds, I am going to tell them the truth._

_One…_

_Two…_

_Three…_

_Crud!_

He took another deep breath and then told them everything about Madelyn and how they had ended up being pen pals, how he had needed a laptop to be able to watch Madelyn's favorite TV show in secret, how April had become a hobby photographer and Madelyn's new babysitter, he told them about Mr. Dearing's accident and how he had spent the night in Madelyn's room to watch over her and her father while she was sleeping and how April had called him her boyfriend on the weekend when Mr. Dearing had asked about the male voice in the background on the phone.  
  
"And I guess, that's it," he ended his explanations.

Raph and Mikey were still looking at him, blinking a few times as if to put together what they had just heard.

"Dude, I can't believe you didn't trust us enough to tell us about this," Mikey said finally.

"I thought you would make fun of me," Leo admitted.

"Bro, you were doing all these things just to make a little girl feel better," Raph threw in. "What would be funny about that?"

Leo lowered his eyes for a moment. "I guess you're right."

"And now go and tell Donnie what is going on," Raph commanded. "I don't want to have to take over his cleaning duty one more time just to make him feel better."

"He made you take over his cleaning duty?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, we cleaned the kitchen so he had enough time to get a hold of himself," Raph confirmed. "But I ain't doing that again. Now go!"

Leo just nodded and left the room.

"We are making fun of him, aren't we?" Mikey asked his older brother cautiously.

Raph smirked. "Ab-so-lute-ly!"

* * *

Donnie gave a little sigh when there was a knock on the door of his lab again. This was some busy day today!

"Come in!" he called out, but then he remembered that it could be Mikey or Raph and those two were thinking he was being depressed, so he added in sad voice. "If you want to, of course."

And when he looked up, making sure he looked as sad as he could manage to look like, he saw Leo approaching him. And their leader looked just as uncomfortable as Raph and Mikey had looked just hours ago.

"What is it, Leo?" Donnie asked and raised a brow.

"I..uhm..well…uhm…," Leo stammered while fiddling with his fingers. "I ..uhm…think there has been some sort of a …uhm…misunderstanding," he finally managed to say.

"Oooooookay," Donnie drawled.

"Well…uhm…April and I aren't a couple," Leo said.

Donnie's eyes widened a bit. Oh, right, I am not supposed to know that already!, he told himself. _Okay, award-winning performance coming up!_

"Oh, thank goodness!" he suddenly called out, pressing his hand to his plastron to where his heart was underneath in a dramatic gesture.

Leo watched this unemotionally and with a raised brow. What was going on here? This was so not Donnie.

Leo watched this unemotionally and with a raised brow.

"You knew already, didn't you?" he said when Donnie's award-winning performance had come to an end.

"Yah," Donnie laughed insecurely and scratched the back of his head. "April told me by accident when there was a misunderstanding about why she wanted to see you alone."

Leo twisted his mouth. "So you just pretended to Mikey and Raph that you were sad and depressed? Heck, you made them take over your cleaning duty!"

"I had to keep your secret!" Donnie said defensively. "I had promised that to April. And it is not my fault that I am intelligent enough to take advantage of it."

"You know what?" Leo said. "Because you kept my secret so long, I'll let you get away with it this time. But stop making people take over your cleaning duty!"

"Sensitive topic, huh?" Donnie asked with a smirk.

"No!"

"Suuuure," Donnie added. "But you know as good as I do, Leo, that I can't do that."

"Next time I won't let you get away with it!" Leo assured as he turned to leave the lab.

"If you catch me next time, that is," Donnie said, still smirking.

"We'll see about that!" Leo said at the door.

"Yes," Donnie said with a silent chuckle. "We will."

Leo blew a raspberry and then left Donnie's lab.

* * *

The next day Madelyn was already seated at her desk in the classroom. But there were still ten minutes left before their teacher was going to show up, so she took out Mr. Turtle's latest letter from her schoolbag and read it.  
 _  
_ _Dear Madelyn,_

_You are right. The weekend was awesome! I hope we can do it again sometime soon!_   
_How's your father doing? Did the doctors remove his plaster?_   
_I can totally understand that you miss going for walks with your father, and I sure hope he will heal soon so that you two can go for walks again. Fingers crossed!_   
_Thank you, Madelyn. As I said I love playing Go Fish. And winning with cheating isn't exactly winning. You should win by sticking to the rules, and if you do so, it is a well-earned win. Anything else is just a loss disguised as a win._   
_Of course we can talk about you becoming a kunoichi next time we meet. But I think you shouldn't start training yet. You are a little girl and need to grow up first. Despite, I am in the middle of my training myself, so I am not sure if I am going to be a good teacher. There are so many things I still have to learn before I'll be able to teach anyone. Do you think you could be patient on this one? I promise I am going to show you a trick or two so that you can defend yourself and your father, okay?_   
_Good job, Madelyn! Just do it again next time Billy is trying to tease you, and I bet he is going to lose interest in teasing you. I am so proud of you!_   
_Yes, I know what is going on with April, but I am not sure if I am allowed to tell you. But I think I can tell you this: April found out something about her past and it really threw her for a loop. I am not sure if there is something you can do to make her feel better. I am not even sure if there is something I can do for her. Just be the happy, little girl you've always been and show her that you like her and that she is important to you, and I think she is going to feel better in no time._   
_I've just picked up Mrs. Sparkling Hair from April's and she is back in my room again. Do you really think she likes me? She didn't say anything about it._   
_I hope to see you again soon, too!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_


	15. A Photographer and Her Muse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On one of her photographer's walks with Madelyn, April realizes the little girl is more to her than just her assistant.

April climbed the stairs to Mr. Dearing's apartment. She still wasn't back to her usual self and kept pondering over mutants in general and being some kind of a mutant herself in special. And the recent encounter with mutant fungus spores that showed you your biggest fear really hadn't helped.

Her fear had been about her father and her friends being turned into bat mutants just like him. She had talked to Donnie about it afterwards, and it really had made her feel better, but when she had been lying awake the whole night after this incident, being too afraid to fall asleep, she had thought through what she had seen once more. And she had realized the following: Her fear wasn't so much that her father would attack her or even kill her. Sure, he was more animal than human right now and thus reacted to instincts, but he hadn't harmed her when he had gotten the chance. On the contrary, he had tried to protect her, to take care of her after he had been mutated. In a way, his instincts had told him to, though, but still.

No, her fear had been about losing her loved ones. She had realized that when she had analyzed her fear bit by bit. Her father had attacked her, but that wasn't what had made her afraid. It had been the fact that she couldn't talk to him, that she couldn't reach him, that she had lost him forever. And when Donnie had turned into a bat-mutant himself, it had been the same. Yes, he had tried to attack her as well, but again, aside from being shocked by his appearance and trying to protect herself, there had been that twinge deep inside her heart that had feared her the most – that she now had lost him forever.

And there still was this fear of what she might turn into one day, now that she knew she was part mutant herself. The fear of losing her loved ones not because they changed into something she couldn't get through to, but she did turn into something unutterable, something that couldn't be with them any longer because of what it was. This thought always gave her a slight shiver, and today was no exception. So she made sure she had gotten a hold on herself again before she knocked on the door.

Mr. Dearing answered the door almost immediately. His crutches had been replaced by a walking stick and the plaster on his one leg was gone. He smiled down at the teenage girl and stepped aside to let her in.

"Is Madelyn ready for our little photographer and assistant's walk?" April asked as cheerfully as possible without sounding weird, tapping at her messenger's bag where her digital camera was in.

"I guess so," Mr. Dearing answered as he closed the door. He then called for his daughter, "Madelyn! April is here!"

There was a rumbling to be heard, and seconds later Madelyn scampered inside from her room and flung her arms around April. "Aaaaaaaaaaaapril!"

The redhead just smiled and patted Madelyn's head gently. "Hello, Madelyn!"

The little girl let go of her.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she burst out, and darted into her room again, only to come back inside at high-speed with a piece of paper and a pink letter in her hand.

"That's for Mr. Turtle," she explained as she handed April the letter. "And this is for you."

And with that she gave April the piece of paper.

The teenage girl looked at it. It was a drawing of two figures, one of them wore a yellow suit, white boots, a white belt, and a yellow mask, the other's outfit consisted of a pink suit, a purple belt, purple boots, and a pink mask. Both figures had red hair, although the hair of the smaller one was a bit browner and was shoulder-length, while the hair of the other figure was long and pulled into a low pony tail. And April recognized that the yellow one was wearing a yellow head-band. She smiled at the drawing.

"It's you and me in our…" – Madelyn paused for a moment and glanced over to her father – "…Halloween costumes. We are supposed to be superheroes."

"I can see that, "April said with a smile. "It's beautiful! Thank you!" She beamed at the little girl. Madelyn just looked at her with a happy smile.

"Now, are you ready for our photographer and assistant's walk?" April asked.

Madelyn nodded eagerly.

When they were out on the street, Madelyn glanced at April guiltily.

"I'm sorry, April," she mumbled. "I nearly gave away your secret."

April furrowed a brow. Secret? How could Madelyn possibly know about her secret?

"You know, about you being a superhero," Madelyn added in a whisper, and April choked a sigh of relief.

"That's okay, Madelyn," she said and squeezed the little girl's hand gently. "And by the way, that was a pretty nice safe back there."

"You really think so?" Madelyn looked at her friend wide-eyed.

"Of course!" April confirmed. "You improvised quite well! Good job!"

Madelyn laughed happily. "Thanks, April!"

"You are welcome!" April replied with a smile.

* * *

When Raph entered the kitchen this evening he saw one of the funniest things he had ever seen.

Mikey was standing in front of Leo, waving a pink ribbon at the oldest turtle.

"I found this in the tunnels this morning," Mikey said excitedly. "Do you think your doll is going to like it?" He gave Leo a broad grin.

Raph bit his lower lip to prevent himself from bursting into laughter. Good one, Mikey!

"Haha, very funny," Leo replied soundlessly. "And it's Madelyn's doll, not mine!"

"Ooookay," Mikey said. "Is Madelyn's doll going to like it?"

"I don't know!"

"You want it or not?" Mikey asked further.

With a grunt Leo snatched the ribbon from Mikey.

_Maybe Madelyn would like it if I give her her doll back with some new accessories_ , Leo thought as he stomped out of the kitchen, being watched by a rather amused looking Raph.

The red-clad turtle waited until Leo was out of earshot.

"Good one, Mikey!" he said with a broad grin.

Mikey blinked at him. "Huh?"

"Your joke," Raph clarified.

"What joke?" Mikey asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"The one with Leo and the pink ribbon," Raph clarified even more, his voice slightly annoyed now.

"That was a joke?" Mikey asked.

Raph just slapped his hand against his forehead and growled.

* * *

"April, April!" Madelyn called out cheerfully. "Look at these beautiful roses!"

And with that the little girl ran over to a rose bush. April followed suit.

They were in the New York Botanical Garden where April thought she could take some great photographs for the monthly Theme Challenge on the photographer's board she had joined some time ago thanks to the imprudent excuse she had used to explain to Mr. Dearing why she had found Madelyn's letter.

April smiled slightly. Had that only been a few weeks ago? Her new hobby, Madelyn, spending time with the little girl, and being her and Leo's postwoman seemed so normal to her now – like it had always been that way.

"I usually prefer tulips, but those roses are beautiful!" Madelyn stated.

April had a closer look. Yes, she had to agree with the little girl. Those roses really were beautiful. And their color was really fitting as well. This month's theme was "innocence", and the roses were white, so this was just perfect.

"You are right, Madelyn," April assured. "And they are perfect for this month's theme. You are a great assistant!"

Madelyn beamed at her.

But when April took out her camera and pointed it to the rose bush, an idea formed in her head. She had planned on zooming in, so only the white rose blooms and the green leaves would be visible, but now that she looked through the view-finder and had Madelyn standing there so close to the rose bush, a new idea replaced her original one.

She smiled as she addressed the little girl. "Madelyn, do you want to help me a bit more with these photographs?"

Madelyn nodded in response.

"Okay, then stand still for a little," April commanded and released the shutter. "And now lift your one hand to one of the roses and gently touch the petals…"

* * *

On the evening of the same day April was sitting on the window bench of her room, the window open as usual, and looked through all the photographs she had taken that day on the camera's display. They were so beautiful! She had decided not to show Madelyn's face, thinking that it would match the innocence-theme even more. And as far as she could tell it had worked. There were pictures of Madelyn's little hands cupping a rose blossom, some photographs of her little fingers touching the petals, and some when she was sniffing a rose blossom though on the photograph only the bottom half of her face was visible.

A smile appeared on April's face as she thought about how beautiful this afternoon in the Botanical Garden had been.

_Looks like Madelyn isn't only my assistant_ , she thought, _but my muse as well._

Then she heard the familiar thud that announced the arrival of Leo, but she didn't react, just kept looking through the photos.

She felt Leo moving closer, his breath brushing her cheek, as he looked over her shoulder.

"Nice!" he announced.

"I know!" April said. She showed Leo a few pics and then took the camera away. After that she reached for Madelyn's letter to hand it to Leo.

The turtle took it with a smile.

"And she gave me this today," April added and showed Leo the picture Madelyn had drawn for her.

Leo's smile deepened. "Yeah, she told me she wanted to draw you a picture. She realized you were down and wanted to cheer you up."

April looked at the picture and gently touched the face of superhero-Madelyn with a smile.

Leo chuckled gently. "Well, I'd say, mission accomplished!"

* * *

When Leo was back in his room later, he sighed in relief. When he had passed the living room, he had realized Raph had been looking at the pink letter in his hand. Now that his brothers knew about Madelyn, Leo didn't care much about hiding the letters. And he was pretty sure Raph had thought of something teasingly on this, given the fact how he had stared at the letter. Leo had literally seen the wheels in his brother's brain work, but before the hothead had been able to come up with something, Leo had entered the corridor that led to his room.

Leo flopped on his bed and yanked the letter open. But before he started reading, he looked over to his bookshelf where Mrs. Sparkling Hair had found her new home. He had tied her hair into a braid earlier today, using the pink ribbon Mikey had given him. And yes, he was still proud of the result.

With a smile he turned to reading the letter.  
 _  
_ _Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Yes, the weekend was so great! I'll ask Daddy if I can stay at April's for the weekend again soon._   
_Daddy is doing fine. The doctors removed his plaster, and now he only needs a walking stick instead of the crutches. And this is so much better! I think we can go for walks again soon. This makes me so happy!_   
_You are right, Mr. Turtle. Winning with cheating isn't actually winning. I promise I'll never cheat again!_   
_I see. I still want to be a kunoichi and protect Daddy, but if you show me some tricks so I can protect Daddy and me, I think I can wait until you finish your training._   
_Thank you, Mr. Turtle! It wasn't easy, but I did it! Billy tried again to tease me today, but again I wasn't listening, and he gave up even faster than last time. Thank you so, so much for your advice again!_   
_I finished the picture for April today and will give to her later when she picks me up for our photographer's walk. I am her assistant, you know. We are going to the Botanical Garden! I can't wait! I so hope she will like the picture and it will make her feel better! April is a super-nice girl, and she should never be sad. But the next picture is for you, Mr. Turtle. What do you want me to draw for you?_   
_Of course Mrs. Sparkling Hair didn't say anything. She would never admit she really likes you. She is too proud to say that. But believe me, she likes you and she likes living with you._   
_Can we have another tea party with April again next time we meet? I want to cheer her up even more._

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_


	16. One Moment of Negligence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April has to learn the hard way that you better keep your eyes glued to Madelyn while the little darling is awake.

Leo did his best to fade out Mikey who was bustling about in his room. The youngest turtle had Mrs. Sparkling Hair in his one hand and showed the doll around – at least, that was what he called it. So far, he had introduced her to Leo's "Space Heroes"-posters, Leo's bookshelves, Leo's bed, and Leo's bedside rug.

Leo had decided that it would be best to just ignore Mikey and not show him how annoying this was. His little brother wanted to tease him. And Leo knew from experience that Mikey would give up sooner if he just let Mikey fool around and not give him any attention. But he had to admit, Mikey was pretty persistent today.

Leo mentally rolled his eyes before he turned back to his letter and re-read what he had written as a reply to Madelyn's letter.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_What did your father say? Is he okay with you spending another weekend at April's? But we have to check first if April's aunt is at home or not. When she's around I'm not sure I can come over for a visit. Sorry._   
_That's the spirit, Madelyn! And I am sure with a bit of practice, you will be able to beat me at Go Fish in no time._   
_You are so, so welcome, Madelyn! Did Billy try to tease you again?_   
_April showed me some photographs of your visit in the Botanical Garden, and they are so beautiful. So I guess you had a lot of fun there, didn't you? I wish I could join you next time. But for talking turtles it is a bit dangerous to go outside when everyone can see them. I hope you understand._   
_April showed me the picture you drew for her as well. It is so cute! I really love the superhero-outfits. So how about you think a superhero-outfit up for me too? I bet it would look awesome!_   
_I see. You know Mrs. Sparkling Hair longer than I do, so I guess I have to believe you on this one. Right now, my youngest brother is showing her around. I think he likes her. But he can be a bit annoying sometimes. Do you think she would tell me if he annoys her? I don't want her to get angry._   
_Of course we can have another tea party together with April next time. You are such a sweet little girl, Madelyn, and it is really noble from you that you want to cheer April up. I know your picture made her really happy, so I think you are well on the way._   
_Hope to see you soon!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

He nodded contentedly, folded the letter, put it into the envelope and sealed it. The blue-masked turtle raised a brow as he realized how good the fading-out-Mikey-thing had actually worked as he looked around his room until it hit him. He hadn't been super-good at fading out Mikey, no, Mikey had left his room!

Leo jumped to his feet, closed his eyes for a moment to listen if he could hear his youngest brother. When he had heard what he had been waiting for, he opened his eyes again and ran into the living room. There he was, continuing to show Mrs. Sparkling Hair around. Right now, Mikey was introducing her to the TV.

"And this is our TV," Mikey said as he held the doll out to the screen. "TV, this is Madelyn's doll."

Leo marched over to Mikey and held out his hand.

"Okay, that's enough, Mikey," he said gravely. "Give me Mrs. … I mean, give me Madelyn's doll back."

"Why?" Mikey asked. "I haven't even showed her the remote control yet."

"Don't you think you have made enough fun of me for one day?" Leo said and snatched the doll from Mikey's hand.

"Fun?" the youngest turtle asked confused. "Why do you think I'm making fun of you?" He pressed one finger against his lips, thinking about this. "Raph has said something similar when I gave you the pink ribbon, but why? Why do you all think I am making fun of you?"

"You aren't making fun of me?" Now it was Leo's turn to look confused.

"Dude, you are doing your best to make a little girl happy," Mikey explained. "And I thought I might contribute to that by showing her doll around."

"I bet Raph would make fun of it."

"Sure. And in a way it is funny, and I am going to make fun of you eventually, but not through a little girl and her doll," Mikey said.

"That's…actually really nice of you," Leo said, a slight disbelieving ring to his voice.

"I know, right?" Mikey beamed at him. "So can I show Madelyn's doll around a little more?"

Leo nodded and handed Mikey the doll. "Her name's Mrs. Sparkling Hair."

"Well then, Mrs. Sparkling Hair," Mikey said to the doll, "I am Michelangelo and I am your host today. So let's continue, shall we? Now, here we have the most important thing to be found in this living room, the remote control." He gestured with his free hand in the direction of the said object. "Remote control, please meet Mrs. Sparkling Hair."

Leo shook his head slightly, an amused look on his face as he turned around and left the living room again.

* * *

Slowly April opened her eyes, shaking off the warm and dull feeling of the dream she had just had as she sat up. Luckily, it hadn't been a nightmare this time. Piece for piece she put together what had happened before she had fallen asleep.

Mr. Dearing had asked her to watch over Madelyn this evening while he was at the hospital for physical therapy. She and Madelyn had done Madelyn's homework together and then watched a "Unicornia"-episode, and it appeared that April must have fallen asleep during the episode. Just a sign of how tired she must have been. The redhead squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again to thus get rid of the last bit of sleepiness and then looked around.

She set eyes on Madelyn in the back of the living room, dancing around with a beautiful fan in her little hand, bouncing and spinning and waving the fan around. April smiled when she saw that.

But the moment she was able to catch a closer look on the fan, her smile faded immediately. Her eyes widened in shock and her heart skipped a beat as she realized that this was no ordinary fan Madelyn was playing around with, but her tessen.

With an alarmed outcry April jumped to her feet and rushed over to the little girl, wresting the tessen from her hand.

"This is no toy, Madelyn!" she yelled at the little girl while she flipped the tessen closed. "This is a weapon, a dangerous weapon, Madelyn! You could have gotten hurt!"

"I…I…," Madelyn stammered, her eyes huge in shock as she faced the most furious April she had ever seen.

"Have you rummaged through my bag?!" April asked. "Or how else did you get your hands on my weapon?!"

"I…I…," Madelyn repeated her stammering.

"Madelyn!" April's voice had reached a volume that made the little girl flinch.

Tears welled in Madelyn's eyes and with a sob she ran for her room and shut the door closed.

April watched this and the moment she heard the door close, she slapped her hand against her forehead. What had she just done?

She walked over to the door at a slow place, thinking about what just had happened. Sure, it had been wrong from Madelyn to rummage her bag and take her tessen out to play with it. But how should the little girl have known that this was no ordinary fan, but a dangerous weapon? April mentally slapped herself. Why had she yelled at her? Why hadn't she just gotten her tessen back, tell Madelyn what this was all about, explain to her why it was dangerous to play with it and why it was wrong to rummage another person's bag without permission? Why had she had to lose her temper right now? She knew she had been too shocked, too afraid that Madelyn would get hurt to stay calm, but did she have to lose her temper this badly? She knew better than to yell at a little girl.

With a sigh she knocked at Madelyn's door gently.

"Madelyn," she said softly, "Madelyn, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. Can I…can I come in and we talk this through?"

There was no answer, just some muffled sobbing that reached April's ears. The teenage girl sighed and stepped back from the door. She wouldn't go in there until Madelyn told her she was fine with it. But she felt so guilty. There needed to be something she could do. She looked around the living room, the kitchenette, but there wasn't anything helpful in here.

April choked another sigh as she walked over to her bag and tucked her tessen away.

When Madelyn heard the rustling of paper, she lifted her head that she had pressed against one of the pillows on her bed and looked over to the door. She frowned at the sheet of paper that had been pushed under the door. Determinedly, she wiped the last of her tears away and went over to pick it up.

It was just a random sheet of paper, squared, as if someone had just pulled it out of a notebook. When Madelyn turned it around she realized that there was a face drawn on it with a ball pen, a face with freckles and bangs and hair in a low ponytail. The face's mouth corners were pulled down so much, they nearly reached the chin.

A slight smile appeared on Madelyn's face as she took the drawing and went over to her little desk.

* * *

April was staring at the door of Madelyn's room, hoping that the girl would finally open it and come out. But instead of that a piece of paper was pushed under it. With a frown April picked it up. She looked at the picture and smiled. There had been added a little body, arms, hands, and legs to the face she had drawn of herself. The sad mouth had been drawn over with a red crayon and turned into a big smile. And a second little figure had been added to the picture, smiling just as big as the other figure, and she and the April-figure were holding hands.

That moment the door was opened and a guilty looking Madelyn stepped out. She came to a halt in front of April, her eyes lowered to the ground.

April bent her knees to be on the same level with Madelyn.

"Madelyn, I'm sorry," she said gently. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was just…so afraid you might get hurt that I couldn't control my voice. It won't happen again. I promise."

"And I shouldn't have rummaged through your bag and take your fan out to play with it," Madelyn replied. "I am sorry too."

April placed a hand on the little girl's shoulder. "So are we okay again?"

Madelyn lifted her head, looking April into the eye with a smile, and nodded.

April returned the smile.

* * *

"No way!" Mikey called out, his voice echoing through the hallway in front of the kitchen. "You really made him do that?!"

"Worse!" April said with a smile. "I even put tomato sauce into the microwave way too long, and it somehow exploded. It looked like some mini-volcano had erupted in there."

Mikey laughed so hard he nearly fell from his chair.

That was the moment Leo entered the kitchen.

"Having fun, you two?" he said cautiously.

"Sure do!" Mikey replied.

"Okay," Leo just said as he handed April his latest letter for Madelyn.

The teenage girl took it and stuffed it into her bag.

Mikey looked at his oldest brother with a broad grin on his face.

"What?" Leo asked.

"Oh, I am just thinking of a new nickname for you," Mikey explained, the grin on his face growing even broader. "Now that I know how much cleaning experience you have, what about _Leo, the Cleaner_? No, wait! _Cleaning Leo_?! _The Fearless Feather Duster_?!"

Leo just growled and left the kitchen. He had just entered the hallway when Mikey called after him, "See, Leo? That's what it's like when I _really_ am making fun of you!"


	17. Stubborn Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn shows April that she can be stubborn from time to time.

Leo was on the way to his room to read Madelyn's latest letter, holding the pink envelope in his one hand, as he was approached by his sensei.

"Leonardo," Splinter said gently, "may I have a word with you?"

Leo stopped immediately and looked at Splinter, his answer a light nod.

"Very well." Splinter smiled down at him. "Don't you want to tell me what is going on?" He nodded his head towards the letter in his son's hand.

Leo's eyes followed Splinter's gesture, before he looked at his father again, a deep frown on his face.

"Haven't you heard yet?" Leo asked cautiously.

"True, I happened to overhear a thing or two. But I haven't heard from you," Splinter explained in a gentle voice. "So do you want to tell me or not?"

Leo's frown grew deeper.

His father chuckled a bit. "This is no order, Leonardo," he explained. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I am just curious, that's all."

Leo thought about that for a moment. Now that his brothers knew about Madelyn, why not tell Splinter as well? And wouldn't it be a bit unfair to tell his brothers, but leave his father to draw his own conclusions from what he had overheard from the talks between him and his brothers? Despite, who knew what Raph, Mikey, and Donatello actually were saying about this whole pen pal-incident? What if they weren't telling the truth?

He gave another nod and told Splinter the story about how he had met Madelyn, how he had ended up being her pen pal, how April had helped and discovered her love for photography along the way, how she had become Madelyn's babysitter, and how he had watched over the little girl the other night and met her at April's last weekend.

Splinter was listening carefully, nodding slightly from time to time. When Leo had ended his story, there was a moment of silence before the ninja master began to speak.

"I like how you care about this little girl, Leonardo," he said. "She really has grown close to you in this short time. But keep in mind that being in contact with her could put her in danger in view of the fact of whom we are fighting and who our enemies are. Letting someone in your heart always brings along responsibility."

Leo nodded his head. "I know, sensei." He hesitated for a moment before he went on. "I told you about my nightmares the other day, sensei, about my fears. I know the risk. And I know that this friendship is worth the risk. Being friends with someone who isn't part of your team, with whom you don't have to fight the most dangerous, deadly enemies one can come up with, being friends with someone who doesn't see you as a leader, but as who you really are, makes the responsibility so much more bearable. With Madelyn, I can just be her friend. I don't have to be a leader, a big brother, I don't have to be the most reasonable one around, I don't have to make decisions that might cost someone's life. I can just be me, and no-one else." He looked at his father. "Being friends with Madelyn is fun."

"I see." Splinter stroked his beard, lost in thought for a moment, before he looked at his son with a warm smile. "Is that the reason you tried to keep this a secret? It would have been easier to find Madelyn if you had asked Donatello for help."

Leo's eyes widened for a moment. It was a miracle to him how his father managed to see right through him, to get to the core of his intentions just like that. "Sensei," he said, returning Splinter's warm smile. "That's exactly the reason."

Splinter laid a hand on Leo's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before he left for the dojo.

Leo watched him for a moment, then he continued his path.

* * *

With a sigh Leo slumped down on his bed, Madelyn's letter in hand. But before he started reading it, he thought about the little talk he had had with Splinter. He knew the reason he was so possessive of Madelyn was the feeling she gave him, the feeling of not having to be the leader for once, the feeling of being able to just be Mr. Turtle. And he loved the little girl for that. And sharing her with April was okay. His relationship with April wasn't about leadership in the first place. But with his brothers he had to be leader most of the time. That was the difference. And that was the reason he wasn't able to share Madelyn with his brothers yet. Maybe one day, but definitely not now. That was his last thought before he started reading.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_I just talked to Daddy, and he said yes! And not just that! I am going to stay the whole week because our old apartment is finally whole again, and we can move back. And Daddy is going to be busy all week because of the move. I can't wait to be back home! Just one more week! So you can visit me at April's from Saturday on. Can't wait to see you and show you how good I got at playing Go Fish._   
_No, Billy didn't try to tease me again. I hope it stays that way. And if not, I will just ignore him again._   
_The photographer's walk was awesome! It was so much fun! I understand that you can't come with us. You are a superhero. You need to stay hidden._   
_And of course I will draw a picture of you in your superhero-outfit for you. I have some ideas, and I will start today._   
_Mrs. Sparkling Hair would tell you right away if your brother annoys her. She isn't really good at hiding her feelings when she doesn't like something._   
_Thank you, Mr. Turtle! But I made a mistake. I played with April's beautiful fan and when she saw it she got angry and took it away from me. She yelled at me that it was weapon and dangerous, but how can a fan be a weapon? I didn't ask her because we made up again and I wanted to forget about it, but I am curious. Could you explain me how a fan can be dangerous? I realized it was heavier than the fans I have at home. Is that the reason why it is a weapon?_   
_Hope to see you on Saturday!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo chuckled when he read that Madelyn wasn't concerned that he couldn't be seen by other humans because he was a giant, talking turtle, but because he was a superhero.

But when he read about the fan-incident, his smile faded. April had told him about that and how she had lost her temper because she was so afraid of Madelyn getting hurt. He could relate to that. He would be scared to death if he found Madelyn playing with his katanas. And maybe he would yell at her as well just because of his fear.

About seeing Madelyn on Saturday, he knew he wouldn't make it. Splinter had planned a special training exercise for Saturday that would probably last the whole night. But maybe he could visit Madelyn on Sunday. He truly hoped so.

* * *

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I am happy to hear that you can move back home soon. It would make visiting you a bit easier, I think. As for the weekend, I am afraid I can't come over for a visit on Saturday. April's aunt won't be around on Saturday until later that night, April told me, but my brothers and I have an important training exercise at Saturday night. But I promise I will come over for a visit as soon as possible._   
_Yes, us superheroes need to stay hidden. You are right about that one, Madelyn._   
_Okay. Mrs. Sparkling Hair hasn't said anything yet, so I think my brother doesn't annoy her. That's good to know._   
_April has told me about what has happened. You should know that April's fan is a special fan. It is called a tessen. They look like fans, but in reality they are dangerous weapons. It's not only that a tessen is heavier than a normal fan – a tessen is made of metal, that's because it is heavier – but it's sharp like a blade. You could have cut yourself. But for details, please ask April to show you why a tessen is dangerous. It is her weapon after all. You two are friends again, and I bet April would explain to you how a tessen works. I even dare to say that she'd love to do so. And it would distract her even more from the things that make her sad at the moment. Would that be okay?_   
_See you soon!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

When Madelyn lowered the letter and looked up at April, the teenage girl's eyes widened in surprise at the look on Madelyn's face. Her brow was furrowed, her lips compressed into a thin line.

"Why isn't Mr. Turtle coming?" she asked in a lowered voice.

"Oh, Madelyn, sweetie, he would love to come today, but he can't," April explained. "He and his brothers have this important training session today."

"Why can't they have it tomorrow?"

"That's not his choice. It's their sensei, their trainer who decides so."

Madelyn stomped her foot. "But I want to see Mr. Turtle now! I practiced playing Go Fish with Daddy the whole week and I want to show him how good I am now!"

"Sweetie, you can play Go Fish with me," April suggested, but the moment she had said that she knew it wouldn't work. The furrows on Madelyn's forehead grew even deeper as the little girl stomped her foot again.

"But I want Mr. Turtle!" she called out.

April's eyes widened a little more. "Sorry, Madelyn, but you have to be patient…"

"I always have to be patient!" Madelyn interrupted her. "And I was patient very long! But I don't want to be patient now! I want Mr. Turtle!"

April blinked a few times. Part of her refused to accept what she was seeing. Sure, Leo had told her how stubborn Madelyn had been when she had forced him to stay for tea the first night they had met, but somehow April just hadn't believed him. To her, Madelyn had always been the sweetest little angel. But now she had to face the truth. This angel could be stubborn at times.

"Madelyn, dear…," she tried to talk to the little girl again, only to be interrupted by another "I want Mr. Turtle!"-shout. And this time Madelyn took a deep breath and then just held her breath.

"No, Madelyn, don't do that!" "April said. "Madelyn, please!"

* * *

Leo and his brothers were standing in the sewers' tunnel leading to their lair, Splinter in front of them as their sensei gave them some instructions on tonight's training exercise.

"So I am going to give you a few hints how to find…" Splinter said, but was interrupted by the ringing of Leo's Tphone.

"Sorry, sensei!" Leo said quickly as he reached for his phone. "I forgot to turn that off!" But the moment he looked at the display, the thought of not answering the call disappeared.

"That's April!" he called out. "I need to get this. Maybe something's wrong with Madelyn!" And with that he answered the phone, stepping away a bit from his brothers and his sensei. They could still hear him talking, though.

"April, I can't come over! We have a training exercise! … I understand that you must be desperate if you even tried to call your aunt, but how is she supposed to pick up when she is at the movie theater? … What do you mean by _'she refuses to breathe'_? How can someone refuse to breathe? Breathing is essential! … What? She's turning blue? You gotta do something! … Stop yelling at me! …I…I see what I can do."

With a sigh he tucked his Tphone away and turned to face his sensei, thinking of something he could tell him to be released from tonight's training session. He was still wracking his brain, when his father addressed him.

"You may go," Splinter said simply.

Leo blinked a few times until the full impact of Splinter's word hit him.

"Thank you, sensei!" he called out and left.

His three brothers watched him leave.

"What?!" Raph called out. "You let him leave just like that?"

"Sometimes there are more important things in life than training, Raphael," Splinter replied.

"Is pizza more important than training?" Mikey asked.

"No."

"What about 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five!'? Mikey asked further.

"No."

"Comic books?"

"No."

"And you are sure that training is more important than pizza?"

"Michelangelo!"


	18. Curious Observers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raph, Donnie, and Mikey can’t help, but spot on Leo when he meets Madelyn at April’s apartment. Too bad a certain kunoichi in training has her eyes and ears everywhere.

With a sigh April slumped down next to Leo on the floor in April's room and leaned her back against the wall. She flung her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees, but then turned her head look at Leo. She shifted her head a bit so that it was finally her cheek that rested on her knees which was way more comfortable when you wanted to talk. And that was what she wanted to do. But before she began to speak she looked at the little girl resting in Leo's arms, sleeping tight as she was curled up in his lap.

"How can such a small human make such a big fuss?" she asked silently, followed by another sigh.

Leo chuckled as he looked April over for a moment. She was still shaky from trying to calm Madelyn down earlier and sure looked exhausted.

"Growing up with Mikey," he replied in a calm voice, "I have to admit that I am not that surprised."

April blew out her cheeks as she turned her head again and let her forehead rest on her knees now, hiding her face between her arms that were still slung around her knees.

"Seriously," she said, her voice muffled a bit by her arms, "I had no idea she could be _that_ stubborn."

Leo chuckled again and patted Madelyn's head carefully before he let his one arm slip under her knees, let the other rest on her back and picked her up. The little girl stirred a bit as he got up and tucked her in April's bed, but one tender pat on her head and she was calm again.

April had lifted her head again and watched as Leo covered the girl with the blanket.

"And you arrived and she was the sweet little angel again I used to know," she said.

"I knew that she could be really stubborn," he just said as he sat down next to April again.

"Next time give me a little…no, a big warning, okay?" the redhead asked.

"I did tell you about it," Leo laughed silently.

"That's what I would call a mini-warning," April explained. "As I said, I want a big warning next time. And by big, I mean gigantic, okay?"

Leo casually patted her knee and got up.

"Better get going," he told her. "Your aunt could be back any minute now."

April just nodded. Leo held out a hand and helped his human friend to her feet.

"And you really are okay with Madelyn sleeping in your bed?" he asked cautiously.

"Leo, right now, I would rather sleep on cold concrete than risk waking her up," April retorted.

"Well, at least she was successful with her mission," Leo stated.

"Mission?"

"Yes, she wants to make you feel better because you were being so sad recently."

"But I am not feeling better."

Leo gave a warm smile. "Liar."

April tried hard to keep a serious face, but finally she lost the fight and a big grin appeared on her face. "Okay, you're right."

Leo patted her shoulder for a moment. "And she has distracted you from your brooding."

"True." April was still smiling.

"See?" Leo said as he opened the window and climbed outside on the fire escape. "So it wasn't so bad after all."

April rested her hands on the window bench, her eyes following the mutant's every move. "Oh, it was bad!" she said. "It was really, really bad!"

Leo replied with another smile which April couldn't help, but return. He waved at her, turned around and disappeared into the night.

* * *

The next morning – a really early morning – the four turtle brothers were gathered in the kitchen. Mikey was making breakfast as usual, but he was rather drowsy in his movements, and Donnie and Raph looked just as sleepy. The only well-rested turtle around was Leo which wasn't really a surprise. His brothers had been out all night on their training exercise with Splinter and had arrived at around five in the morning. Leo had gotten up then to have breakfast together with his family, but Splinter had marched right to his room. He had just said to Leo that he wanted to meet him at the dojo after noon for some extra training while his brothers had a day off today. Leo had just nodded and then shoved his brothers into the kitchen. At first, he had wanted to ask them about their training, but since they were acting more like zombies now than mutant turtles he had decided against it.

With a frown the blue-masked turtle looked over to his youngest brother who had been looking into the kitchen unit without actually moving for moments now, and so he decided it was about time he gave his little brother a hand.

He knew he wasn't good at preparing any kind of food and especially not breakfast, but all he had to do today was shoving Mikey into the right directions and nudging him when it looked like he was about to doze off. And it worked pretty well.

Half an hour later they were eating their breakfast in silence – although Leo could feel Raph's angry gaze from time to time. But his brother was simply too tired to make a comment about Leo ditching them yesterday, and Leo was really thankful for that.

So when they had finished their breakfast, Leo shoved his brothers into their rooms.

"Good night…I mean day…I mean, sleep well!" he finally managed to say. All he got from his brothers in response were tired nods.

* * *

After his extra-training with Splinter which had lasted the entire afternoon Leo was happy to receive a message from April that her aunt had decided to visit some friends for dinner and thus she and Madelyn were alone in the apartment now. Spending some more time with Madelyn would make him feel better, especially when he thought of how much his limbs hurt now. Splinter definitely had made sure he would make up for the missed training session the last night.

So when he passed the living room where his still a bit tired brothers were gathered he just waved at them and left.

He didn't see the look his brothers shared, though.

* * *

"Tell me again why we spot on Leo?" Mikey asked in a whisper which made him earn annoyed groans from Donnie and Raph in response.

"We don't have anything better to do," Raph replied.

"And we're curious," Donnie added.

They were on a rooftop opposite April's apartment building, each of them holding a spyglass to their eyes and watching what was going on in April's apartment. From what they could see, Leo and the little girl were playing some card game in the back of the living room while April was sitting at the coffee table working on her laptop. Suddenly, all three Tphones beeped, and the brothers reached for them, checking their messages.

_Stop this! Now!_

"Did you two also get a text message from April that we should stop this now?" Donnie asked.

His brothers nodded in response.

"I wonder how she even knows we're here," Raph tossed in.

"Yeah, we're ninjas!" Mikey agreed.

Another beep made them look at their Tphones again.

_I'm a kunoichi, remember?_

The three brothers looked at each other frowningly.

"You know what?" Raph said. "I guess that's just a lucky shot. She's just goofing around. How would she know we're here?"

"Yeah, you're possibly right," Donnie said, lifted the spyglass to his eyes and looked at April's apartment again. He realized that the girl was standing at the now open window and when he raised his gaze he saw that April crossed her arms over her chest. And that she was looking directly at him with a very angry look on her face!

"Whoa!" he called out and jumped backwards, looking at his brothers rather shocked. "No, you're not. She knows we're here!"

His brothers blinked at him a few times before they checked themselves only to find April gone.

"Nah, you're wrong, bro!" Mikey called out. "April's not even there any longer."

"Which raises the question," Raph said. "Where did she go?"

"Right here!" an angry and all too familiar voice answered from behind them, and when the turned around they saw April stepping out on the rooftop from the door leading to the staircase. She was breathing a bit heavily from having run to get up there quickly, but that only contributed to the angry look on the girl's face.

"What the heck do you think you're doing here?" she called out to them. "Can't you leave your brother alone for a while?"

"No," Mikey replied matter-of-factly. "Because we're curious."

"Then be curious at home!" April retorted. "Now let Leo be! He has the right to do some things on his own."

"But April…" Donnie started, but was interrupted by April.

"Off with you!" the teenage girl called out. "Shoooo, shoooooo!"

And before they even knew what was going on, April had chased them off the rooftop.

* * *

Leo had been a bit surprised when April had told them she would go out to get them a pizza for dinner, but he was totally okay with it. It gave him the opportunity to talk to Madelyn which after her behavior the night before was rather appropriate. But he had no idea how to start such a talk, and he was so lost in thought that he totally forgot that it was his turn at Go Fish.

Madelyn watched the somehow frozen turtle for a while until she raised her voice. "Mr. Turtle, it's your turn."

Leo snapped out of his trance. "Uh…what?"

"It's your turn," the little girl repeated, looking him over. "Are you okay, Mr. Turtle?"

Leo cleared his throat. "Actually, I am not. Can we…can we put aside the cards for a moment?"

Madelyn nodded earnestly and laid her cards on the floor. Leo did so too and looked at her for a moment. What would be the best way to begin this? Again, he was so caught up in his thoughts that Madelyn had to snap him out of it again by calling him.

"Mr. Turtle?" she asked, an anxious ring in her voice.

"Uh, sorry, Madelyn!" Leo told her, but then looked the girl in the eye. "Madelyn, I wanted to talk about yesterday. About your behavior."

Madelyn lowered her eyes guiltily.

"I mean, I do understand why you get impatient and all, but do you think it is okay to give April such a hard time?"

Madelyn slightly shook her head.

"Do you know it was wrong?"

The little girl nodded.

"Are you going to apologize to April?"

She nodded again.

Leo patted her head with a warm smile. "That's the Madelyn I know."

Madelyn lifted her head and looked at Leo, a small smile appearing on her face.

At that moment the door to the apartment was unlocked and seconds later April entered the living room, carrying a pizza box.

"Pizza's here!" she called out happily.

Leo looked at Madelyn, tilting his head into April's direction. The little girl just nodded and got to her feet. She walked over to April and just stood there, her eyes lowered to the ground. April put down the pizza box on the coffee table, shoving her laptop out of the way, and then turned to look at Madelyn.

"Yes, Madelyn?" she asked, raising a brow.

The girl was shifting her weight uneasily for a few moments.

"I…I am sorry," she finally said and raised her eyes. "I am sorry for giving you such a hard time yesterday."

"Oh, sweetie!" April called out and knelt down. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Madelyn said. "It was wrong. And I am sorry."

April smiled at her. "Thank you, Madelyn! You know, I think I can understand you. You wanted to see L…I mean, Mr. Turtle so badly and then somehow lost your temper. I know how it is. And we both know it's wrong. But it could happen to all of us. So no hard feelings, dear!"

Madelyn beamed at her and then flung her little arms around April's neck. The redhead hugged her back, lifting the little girl up as she rose to her feet again and then sat down on the couch, letting Madelyn slide down on the couch next to her.

"So, where were we?" she asked. "It had something to do with pizza, I think." She playfully placed a finger on her chin, furrowing her brow, as if she was thinking hard which made Madelyn giggle. "Oh, yeah, right," she finally said. "Who wants pizza?"

"Me!" Madelyn called out.

"Me too!" Leo called out even louder from the other end of the living room, running over to them in a rush and slumping down on the couch next to Madelyn.

"Oh, what a coincidence!" April said cheerfully. "I want pizza too!"

And with that she opened the box, and soon they were all munching away on their pizza happily.


	19. Mr. Beam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo's sick, and now someone else has to bring his letter to April.  
> (This chapter is set after "Metalhead Rewired".)

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_It is so great to be back home! It took Daddy some time to make my room look like it looked before the house was broken, but now everything is fine again. All my toys and books and dresses are back in their places, and it feels good to sleep in my own bed again._  
 _I really enjoyed spending some time with you last week. It was so fun!_  
 _I still have to ask April about the special fan. The whole last week we were too busy doing our homework and playing that I forgot to ask. And now that Daddy can walk again without his walking stick, April doesn't bring me to school or picks me up any longer. I only see her when she babysits me. I have to talk to Daddy. I really like April and I want to see her more often. But I promise I won't lose my temper about not seeing someone in a while again! It was wrong. I know that._  
 _Is Mrs. Sparkling Hair doing fine? I am sure your brother doesn't annoy her. She would have told you if he does. Maybe she likes him, too. If he likes tea parties, I am sure she likes him. Mrs. Sparkling Hair is fond of tea parties._  
 _Now that I am back home, could you visit me more often, Mr. Turtle? We should have a tea party again._

_Yours,_  
 _Madelyn_

Leo read the letter once more to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He had no idea what was wrong with him today, but his head was killing him. And his vision got blurry from time to time. He was sure it hadn't anything to do with Metalhead giving them such a hard time during training before the little robot had been destroyed. He sighed when he thought of that, especially when he thought of Donnie. His brother had been so down lately. And he had no idea how to cheer him up.

Leo was used to get a bruise now and then during sparring, especially when he was sparring with Raph. No, his current condition was different. And no matter how sad Donnie was, he had to ask him what was wrong with the heating. It was freezing in here!

He skimmed through the letter once more and chuckled a bit. Did he really have to ask Mikey if he liked tea parties? Well, he would take care of that later. He had to write his reply first.  
 _  
_ _Dear Madelyn,_

_I'm glad to hear you are back home. April has mentioned that the move went fine – although she complained a bit about her hurting back because she helped so much with carrying heavy boxes. But all in all I think she enjoyed it._  
 _I loved spending time with you too. I always enjoy spending time with you. You are some sort of a little sunshine for me, Madelyn. Seeing you or reading your letters always takes away a bit of the burden I have to carry as the leader of our team. And I thank you for that._  
 _I totally understand. Maybe you and April could meet more often. Aren't you her assistant? Shouldn't she take you with her on her photographer's walks? I bet you two will find a way to meet more often. And I think she wants to see you more often as well._  
 _Mrs. Sparkling Hair hasn't complained, so I guess she is doing fine. Well, she hasn't said anything that she likes or doesn't like my brother, so I don't know for sure. On the other hand, I guess with Mrs. Sparkling Hair you never know for sure. Am I right? And I am going to ask my brother if he likes tea parties. Maybe he could have one with Mrs. Sparkling Hair from time to time._  
 _She did a great job cheering me up when I was down. I really wish she could do the same for my other brother. He is really sad at the moment because one of his favorite toys got broken. You must know that he built it himself. And now he is sad because he can't repair it. I would ask Mrs. Sparkling Hair for help, but he doesn't like dolls very much, so I am a bit helpless here right now._  
 _I am sure that I could visit you more often now when my time allows it. And as promised, next time I'll bring the tea. Do you have a favorite tea, Madelyn?_

_Yours,_  
 _Mr. Turtle_

As he had done before with Madelyn's letter, Leo re-read his letter and re-re-read it, just to be sure. His head was aching even more now, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could take it. Maybe he should ask Donnie for some pain killers. But first, he had to bring his letter to April.

He put the letter into the well-known green envelope and sealed it, but when he got up he couldn't suppress a silent cry of pain. Why on earth did his whole body hurt now? Wasn't it bad enough that his head hurt? Did the rest of his body have to follow along?

He trudged over to the door and into the corridor, but he didn't get far. After a few steps out in the corridor, he needed to lean against the wall for support because it felt like the corridor was whirling around him.

He heard someone approaching and calling his name, but it sounded a bit muffled. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again in hopes that the blurry vision would fade, but it didn't. All he could see were two figures standing in front of him.

"Leo, you okay?" Donnie asked again, and he and Mikey shared a concerned look.

It took his oldest brother a while to answer, but when he finally managed, all he said was, "I'm fine." But the look on his face and the fact that he still needed the support of the wall to stand, gave the lie to his words.

"I don't think so," Donnie said and placed his hand on Leo's forehead. "You got a fever. And from your condition it could be the flu. You have to stay in bed."

It took Leo a few moments again until he answered, but then shook his head. "I can't," he mumbled. "I have to bring this letter to April."

"The letter can wait, Leo, your health can't," Donnie said and gently shoved his brother back into his room and with the help of Mikey even managed to tuck him into bed. Leo was so weak, his resistance was virtually absent.

"I'll get you some medicine, Leo," Donnie announced. "I'll be right back." And with that he left.

"But the letter," Leo mumbled weakly, lifting his hand holding the letter a bit.

Mikey watched this, and then he took the letter from Leo's hand.

"You know what, bro?" he said. "I'm gonna bring this letter to April for you, okay?"

He wasn't sure if Leo had really heard him, but it looked like the blue-masked turtle nodded slightly.

"Good." Mikey stroked Leo's forehead gently.

He marched over to the door, but when he passed the bookshelf and his eyes fell on Mrs. Sparkling Hair, he stopped abruptly. He took the doll and went back to Leo again, carefully placing the doll next to Leo's head.

"And while I'm gone," he said, "Mrs. Sparkling Hair is going to keep you company. And now be a good turtle and stay in bed, okay? I am gonna ask Mrs. Sparkling Hair later if you really did so, you know!" He wagged his finger at Leo, although he knew his brother couldn't see it because Leo's eyes were shut. "See you later, Leo!"

"Later, Mikey," was the scarcely audible response.

* * *

Later that evening April opened the window of her room to a knock on the glass.

"Oh, Mikey, it's you," she said to the turtle waiting outside on the fire escape. She was so used to seeing Leo out there that she was a bit surprised that this time it wasn't him.

"The one and only," Mikey said with a beam. He reached for the letter tucked under his belt and handed it to the teenage girl.

April frowned at it.

"It's a letter, April," Mikey clarified. "You know what a letter is, don't you? People write each other…"

"I know, Mikey!" the redhead interrupted him a bit angrily. "I am just surprised that you bring this letter to me. What happened to Leo? Is he okay?"

"Not at the moment," Mikey replied, shaking his head slightly. "He's feverish, Donnie thinks it could be the flu."

"Oh, that's terrible! Poor Leo!" April burst out. Although it would explain why Leo had retained his youngest brother to bring the letter to her. Under normal circumstances the blue-clad turtle would never let anyone else beside himself, April, and Madelyn touch his letters. But if he was feverish and thus out of his senses a bit, he wouldn't have thought twice about the fact that it was Mikey, the same Mikey that managed to lose a piece of advanced technology aka the Tpod during a fight, he had handed over his precious letter. But the letter had gotten to her safely. And it confirmed April's opinion that when Mikey thought something was important he really was able to concentrate on it. He had shown that more than one time, but Leo was rather picky when it came to his letters, so the fever was the only logical explanation to that.

"Tell Leo to get well soon, okay?" she said to Mikey.

The mutant turtle nodded. "Donnie watches over him, so I bet he's gonna be on the road to recovery in no time!"

"I guess you're right," April replied. "I was about to text him that…"

She was interrupted by the doorbell.

"Oh, I gotta get this," she said quickly and rushed out of the room. Mikey just waited on the fire escape.

Moments later he could hear a happy squeak which obviously wasn't coming from April, and then someone ran in his direction, someone with rather small feet.

"Is Mr. Turtle here?" a sweet little voice asked, and the next moment a little girl came running into April's room. But the moment she set eyes on Mikey, she stopped abruptly.

"You aren't Mr. Turtle," she said soundlessly.

Mikey rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess you could call me _a_ Mr. Turtle, but not _the_ Mr. Turtle – whoever that is, by the way."

April entered the room after the little girl which now as he eyed her over, Mikey recognized as the little girl Leo had been playing cards with in the living room of this apartment just a few days ago.

_So this must be Madelyn_ , Mikey thought.

"Madelyn, this is Mr. Turtle's youngest brother," April said. She knew how the little girl liked to name people, so she thought she'd leave it to her if she wanted to know his real name or make up one for him.

A small smile appeared on her face when she realized that this naming-business was something she and Mikey had in common.

"Hi, I'm Mikey!" The mutant turtle waved at the little girl, giving her a big smile.

_So much for letting her pick a name_ , April thought, but then shrugged mentally.

Madelyn just looked him over with serious eyes and furrowed brow.

"I am Madelyn," she finally introduced herself and walked a bit closer to him.

Mikey was still giving her his biggest smile.

"Can I call you Mr. Beam?" Madelyn asked, still frowning.

"Sure!" Mikey said. "That's actually a cool name, don't you think? Well then, Madelyn, I am Mr. Beam!" And with that he held out his hand.

Madelyn's serious face suddenly turned into a smiling one as she shook his hand.

"Do you like tea parties, Mr. Beam?"

"Are you kidding me?" Mikey asked. "I love tea parties!"

"Want to have a tea party with me, April, and Ruffles McBearington?"

"Of course!"

And with that he let Madelyn trail him into the living room. When he passed April he gave her a questioning look.

"Your aunt?" he asked quickly.

"Out for dinner."

"Ruffles McBearington?"

"You're going to find out."

Mikey just nodded. April watched the two leaving her room, then shook her head with a silent chuckle before she followed them.

* * *

Leo was tossing and turning in his bed, shaken by feverish dreams that didn't make any sense at all. He dreamed about fire and falling and darkness, but after what seemed like an eternity his dreams suddenly turned into something completely different. All of a sudden he was in a park. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. And there in the middle of a green meadow they were waiting for him – April, Mikey, and Madelyn, sitting on one of these stereotyped red and white checked picnic blankets. Madelyn waved at him, Leo waved back and went over to them. He sat down next to Madelyn, and the little girl handed him a cup of tea with a smile. Leo returned her smile. And when he took the first sip of his tea, he thought his world couldn't be any better.

When Donnie entered Leo's room later to check on his brother he found him smiling in sleep, holding Madelyn's doll in his arms.

Despite all Donnie had been going through lately by losing Metalhead, his sadness seemed to be gone for a moment and he couldn't help, but smile.


	20. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo is on the road of recovery, but still not allowed to leave his room. Luckily, April brings him a new letter from Madelyn.

Leo was sitting on his bed, wrapped into his blanket, his laptop on his knees, tapping away on the keyboard. He was neither wearing his mask nor any of his pads or the tape around his fingers. It was one of the good things of being sick that he didn't have to gear up every morning, but now that he was feeling better, he somehow missed it. A bit at least. But sensei insisted that he stayed in bed and didn't attend any training sessions before Donnie said it was okay. And from what Donnie had told him this morning, he was far from giving his okay.

Leo paused for a moment and looked over to his bedside table where his mask was lying around. Well, he could at least show that he was feeling fitter again by wearing his mask. With a determined nod he took the mask and put it on.

While he was doing so, he accidentally bumped his elbow against Mrs. Sparkling Hair, and the doll pitched forward.

When Leo realized that he gently put it back into a seating position. He was still wondering why Mikey had insisted that Madelyn's doll stayed close to him while he was feeling unwell, but with Mikey, too much wondering never was a good idea. So Leo had finally given in, partly because of his weak condition. And now that he thought of it, whenever he set eyes on Madelyn's doll he really did feel a bit better. He gently stroked the doll's head before he turned to his laptop again.

But that didn't last long because minutes later there was a knock at the door and without awaiting Leo's answer Mikey popped his head in.

"Hey there, Leo!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Mikey, how often do I have to tell you, you should knock?!" Leo said angrily.

"But I did knock," Mikey clarified.

"You have to wait for me to ask you in!"

"You didn't say that. You keep telling me I have to knock, and that's what I did," Mikey clarified. "If you want me to wait for your answer, you have to say it that way: _Mikey, don't forget to knock and wait for me to ask you in before you come in!_ "

Leo sighed. "Mikey, don't forget to knock and wait for me to ask you in before you come in," he said soundlessly.

"Now you got it!" Mikey grinned at him and sat down at the edge of Leo's bed. "And will do!" He winked at Leo with a beam.

"So how are you feeling, Leo?" Mikey finally asked. "You look a lot better than last time I checked on you."

"I really do feel a lot better."

"Good, good." Mikey nodded. "You know now that I've spent some time with Madelyn, I can totally understand why you didn't want to share her with anyone. She's such a cute little darling."

Mikey had already mentioned before that he and Madelyn had had a tea party when he had brought Leo's letter to April and Madelyn had showed up. It had turned out that Mr. Dearing had had an important meeting with the other renters in their building that had been set up on short notice after they all had moved back in. And he had asked April to look after Madelyn to which the teenage girl had immediately said yes.

Leo still wasn't sure what he should be thinking of this. For such a long time now, Madelyn had been his little secret, his haven, and now he somehow had to share her with his youngest brother. At least Mikey – despite saying that it had been a lot of fun – hadn't said anything about repeating this anytime soon. So Leo still had time to sort his feelings out. And he was totally going to do this once he had totally recovered. He still was surprised that it didn't bother him more that Mikey and Madelyn had had a tea party together. Maybe because he knew his brother didn't mean to screw himself in between Leo and Madelyn. And maybe because Leo knew that Madelyn must have had a good time.

A little frown appeared on Leo's face, and when Mikey realized that, he thought it was about time to tease his brother a bit and thus get his thoughts elsewhere.

"Leo, I have a very important question", he said with a broad grin.

"Yes?"

"Can I still call you Leo or do I have to call you Mr. Turtle now?"

Leo mentally shook his head. So his brother had really waited until he was feeling better to bring this up?

"Very funny," he said.

The grin on Mikey's face turned even broader now. "I know."

"Do you make fun of Raph as well?"

"Sure. Whenever I have the time."

"I mean about his nickname."

"What nickname?"

"Madelyn calls him Mr. Red."

"No way!" Mikey jumped to his feet. "Gotta go!"

And with that he darted out of Leo's room.

Leo slightly shook his head with an amused look on his face, but the moment he wanted to turn back to his laptop again, the well-known face of a certain teenage girl appeared in the doorframe.

"Hello, Leo!" April said. "May I come in?"

"April!" Leo burst out. "Sure!"

And with that April entered his room, went over to his bed and sat down on the edge.

The redhead fetched a pink envelope from her messenger bag and handed it to Leo. The mutant turtle took it with a smile and placed the letter on his laptop.

"How are you feeling?" April asked. "Better, I guess?"

Leo nodded. "But how do you know?" he asked. "You haven't seen me the last days."

"That was because Donnie wouldn't let me anywhere near your room until he was one-hundred percent sure you weren't contagious anymore. And that's why I thought you must be feeling better now – because Donnie let me visit you."

Leo chuckled. "That's so Donnie. A bit overprotective, huh?"

April grinned. "A bit?"

"Okay, a _lot_."

"You sure?"

"One-hundred percent!"

"Not one-thousand percent?"

"According to Donnie, more than one-hundred percent aren't possible."

"You sure?"

"One-thousand percent," Leo said with a grin.

Then they both looked at each other for a moment, and suddenly burst into laughter.

When they had calmed down a bit, Leo said, "I am just glad Donnie had something else to do than think about what has happened to Metalhead." He turned serious again. "How's he doing?"

"Good, I guess," April replied. "We all try our best to keep him busy, and I think you have contributed the most by getting sick. He was too busy to mix your medicine than think about Metalhead."

"At least, this flu was good for something," Leo said with a nod. "But could you try to put in a good word for me? I'm sick of staying in bed. I'm better now. I could at least get up and do something other than staying in bed."

"You're sick of being sick?" April asked with a grin.

Leo grinned back. "Yeah, you could put it that way."

"I see what I can do," April said and got up. "But you know how he is. If Dr. Donnie doesn't think, you've recovered enough to get out of bed, you're most certainly doomed to stay in here."

Leo let out a playful sigh. "I'm afraid I am." He took the pink envelope in his hand and held it up so April could see it. "But thankfully I got something to do now."

April just waved at him and then left his room.

With a smile Leo yanked the letter open and started reading.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_My hands did hurt a bit too after putting all my toys and books and dresses back in, but the move still was fun. And I enjoyed it. Maybe it's the same for April._   
_You are so welcome, Mr. Turtle! Spending time with you is so much fun, you really don't have to thank me for that._   
_Yes, I am April's assistant, and we are going to have another photographer's walk this weekend. I can't wait! I talked to her and to Daddy, and they both are fine with April and me meeting more often. I am so happy about this!_   
_I've met your brother, Mr. Beam. And he and me and Ruffles McBearington were having a tea party, and we talked about Mrs. Sparkling Hair as well. And he really seems to like her. Mr. Beam is a funny turtle. I really enjoyed spending time with him._   
_He told me you are sick and that he was filling in for you. Are you better now? Please get well soon! To make you feel better I drew a picture of you in your superheroes-outfit. I hope you like it._   
_What about your other brother? Is he feeling better? I know how hard it is when one's favorite toy gets broken. Could you please tell him I am sorry?_   
_And how is Mr. Red doing?_   
_When you've recovered, are you going to visit me again? And yes, I do have a favorite tea. I love apple tea! What's your favorite tea, Mr. Turtle?_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

_Mr. Beam?_ When Leo read this, he couldn't help, but grin broadly. Now this was priceless!

He then unfolded Madelyn's drawing and looked at it. It showed him, wearing his blue mask, but instead of his pads and belt, he was wearing a light blue jumpsuit, dark blue boots and gloves, and a white belt. He even had a cape in dark blue. He smiled at the picture. Now this was going to get a special place on his wall. He chuckled at the thought that maybe sooner or later his whole room would be papered with Madelyn's drawings. Not that he cared. Not at all! Actually, he thought that must look really nice. And he forcefully pushed the thought away, of what his brothers would make of this.

He carefully placed Madelyn's drawing and her letter on his bedside table and then took his letter paper out from the drawer.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I guess so too. I think April's complaints about her aching back were meant to be a joke._   
_Madelyn, you are the sweetest little darling a turtle can have for a friend. Do you even know that?_   
_I can't wait to see April's photographs after your walk. I bet they are going to be beautiful. April is such a great photographer._   
_Mr. Beam told me that he really enjoyed spending time with you as well. And yes, I think too that he likes Mrs. Sparkling Hair. So I guess he was a good stand-in?_   
_Yes, I am feeling a lot better now, partly thanks to Mrs. Sparkling Hair who stayed with me all this time. As you said before, she is a good cheerer. And I love your picture. It is so awesome!_   
_My other brother is doing better now. He was so busy taking care of me and mixing my medicine, he didn't have any time to think about his broken toy. But I am going to tell him that you understand him and are sorry for him next time I see him, I promise._   
_Mr. Red is doing great. I told you that he found a new friend, and the two of them are spending a lot of time together. It made him forget about Mr. Bad Guy, and I think he is back to normal now._   
_Then I am going to bring apple tea on my next visit. I like apple tea too, but my favorite is green tea._

_Yours,_  
 _Mr. Turtle_  
  
When Leo had finished the letter and put it into the envelope, he could hear stomping footsteps in the corridor, and when the owner of these stomping feet passed the still open door Leo's room, he was affirmed that it really was Raph on the way to his own room.

"Leave me alone, Mikey!" the red-masked turtle called out.

"But I only wanted to know if Madelyn calls you Mr. Red because of your mask or because of this 'Roses are red'-poem!" Mikey who followed his brother suit said. "Please tell me, Raph! Tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

All he got in response was a grunt and a slammed door, and judging by Mikey's sudden outcry of pain, right into his face.

Leo chuckled. Sure, he was never going to hear the end of this once Raph thought he had recovered enough to be yelled at and teased again, but for now this just was funny.


	21. Of Madelyn and Mr. Turtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spotting Madelyn in one of the cages in Rat King’s lair, Leo rushes to see his little friend after he and his brothers defeated their enemy.  
> (This chapter is taking place immediately after "Of Rats and Men".)

There was one thing Leo had completely forgotten about recovering. When you were a ninja turtle, you very often didn't have the chance to recover one-hundred percent. Sometimes ninety-five percent had to be enough, sometimes even less. And so your last thoughts before you flung yourself into battle, usually were that you truly hoped to have recovered enough to get out of there in once piece.

It had been like this when the Rat King had attacked. Leo wasn't back to his old form. Sure, he was feeling better, a lot better, and he had resumed his training, but he still wasn't back in as good a form as he had been before the flu had wrestled him down. But it had to be enough! It _had to_!

His brothers still had tried to make it a bit safer for him by letting him drive the Shellraiser and not the patrol buggy. He had been a bit annoyed by this at first. Of course he had understood that they had needed back-up, but the fact that all of them had been in the buggy except for him, still had fretted him a bit. But he had given in nonetheless. And April's excitement to join them on a real mission – although it had been well-hidden under her fear for Casey, but it had been visible to Leo –, had made it a bit more bearable. And he had even managed to smile at April when he had jovially put his helmet on her head. The teenage girl had been surprised at first, but then smiled back at him. She hadn't thanked him with words, but who needed words when they understood each other without them just as well?

And the moment Leo had been seated in the Shellraiser's driver's seat, all his thoughts had been claimed by their mission of defeating the Rat King.

But this whole "concentrating on the mission"-thing had been put on an acid test, once he had realized who had been there in one of the cages.  
It still gave his heart a twinge when he remembered the little face between the bars – Madelyn.

His first impulse had been to just rush over there and get her out of this dreadful cage, but luckily, his prudence had kicked back in just in time. There had been other humans there, humans that better didn't know he and his brothers existed. And this thought had been even more confirmed when he had spotted Madelyn's father in one of the other cages.

During their mission he had been able to fight back his thoughts about Madelyn's well-being, but when they had succeeded and April, Casey, and this other friend of April – he thought her name was Irma – had gotten everyone to safety, when they had heard sensei was okay, when they had left Rat King's lair for good, in this exact moment when all this pressure had given away, all he had been able to think about was Madelyn.

And he was still thinking about her, now that he was rushing to her over the rooftops.

_Hang on, Madelyn, I'm on my way!_

* * *

Madelyn Dearing was lying in her bed, curled up and completely covered by her blanket and thus shutting the world away. It gave her a feeling of safety. Her eyes were wide open, her brow furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. She was feeling sad and scared at the same time, and she would have cried if there had been any tears left in her eyes. But she had been crying so much this day, her tears seemed to have dried up, at least for now.

She had been crying back at the park when these rat-monsters had attacked, pressing Daisy to her chest, trying to hold on to her doll, but when one of the rats had grabbed her, she had screamed for help, for her father, for Mr. Turtle. Her father had been with her at the park, and she had seen him running up to her to help her, but before he had been able to reach her, another rat-monster had gotten hold of him and had dragged him away. All that had happened afterwards, the little girl was unable to remember. It was all dark in her memory. The next thing she knew was being in this cage together with other people. She had looked out for her father and had found him in another cage. It was the moment when she had decided to be brave, to be strong. She had decided not to cry.

She had seen a glimpse of green and blue, and this somehow had given her hope. She had been sure Mr. Turtle had been there to save her. And this had encouraged her even more not to cry.

And when chaos had broken out and they had been released from their cage, all she had done was running and running and running, until she was sure she was safe. She had then been lifted up by her father and carried home. And it had been this moment, when she had buried her face in his chest, when she had drunken in his unique Daddy-scent, that she had allowed herself to cry. And she had been crying all their way home and longer after they had arrived at their apartment. Her father had just held her in his arms, stroking her head from time to time and whispering gentle words until she had finally calmed down.

She had then gotten ready for the night. Her father had watched her every move. He had only sat down for one little moment on the couch, but it had been enough for him to fall asleep. Madelyn had tugged on his arm, but her father was so fast asleep, he hadn't even seemed to notice. So Madelyn had gone to bed and ended up hiding under her blanket.

And yes, it did make her feel a little bit safer, but it didn't help with the loneliness. So she lifted the blanket a bit and peeked at her stuffed animals. With a quick move she threw the blanket back, rushed over to her stuffed animals, grabbed Ruffles McBearington, and dashed back into her bed and under her blanket again.

She pressed the teddy bear to her chest. Yes, this was better now. But it still wasn't good.

The little girl let out a sigh.

But then she jumped at the silent knock on her window. She nearly screamed, but the voice she heard then let the scream die down in her throat.

"Madelyn?" an all too familiar voice asked gently. "Are you in there? Are you okay?"

"Mr. Turtle!" Madelyn burst out, not caring about her sleeping father, and threw back the blanket again. She ran over to the window, Ruffles McBearington in one hand, and opened it to her Mr. Turtle.

Leo waited for a moment, listening closely if he could hear any movement from Madelyn's father, but all he could perceive was silent snoring. He let out a sigh of relief, and smiled down at Madelyn as he climbed inside.

His feet had just touched the floor when Madelyn flung her arms around his legs, her teddy bear which she was still holding by the paw, dangling from her one hand.

"Oh, Madelyn," Leo said gently and carefully lifted the little girl up, holding her tight, as she pressed her face against his plastron. He slowly sat down on the floor, stroking Madelyn's head while doing so. "You were afraid, weren't you?"

Madelyn nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Madelyn!"

"Don't have to be," Madelyn said, her voice muffled by his plastron. "You saved us."

"You saw me?" Leo asked a bit surprised.

Madelyn nodded against his plastron. "Only briefly, but I knew it was you."

"Did anyone else see me?"

Madelyn shook her head.

"Okay."

Leo kept stroking Madelyn's head. Her little body was so tensed and she was shivering slightly. It broke his heart to see her like this, and he wished there was more he could do to make her feel better than just sit there and hold her, but there was nothing else he could think of right now.

And he mentally sighed in relief when he finally felt the tension in her body fade away.

Then Madelyn sat up a bit. She lifted her hand which still was holding Ruffles McBearingon and pulled the teddy bear closer, wrapping her one arm around his plushy form. She didn't look at Leo. She somehow seemed to be shy now – or maybe just a bit insecure and tried to hide it. So she started running her finger over his plastron, just doing something, so she could avoid his eyes.

"Better?" Leo asked.

Madelyn nodded, now carefully tapping on his plastron.

"Mr. Turtle," she then said, her voice barely a whisper. "I lost Daisy."

Leo frowned at her words. Daisy? Who was Daisy? He wracked his brain if he had ever heard this name before, but had to give up after a few moments.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he finally said. "But could you help me a little bit? I'm afraid I don't know who Daisy is. I'm sorry, Madelyn."

Madelyn kept tapping on his plastron and again didn't look up. "Daisy is one of my favorite dolls," she explained. "She has this beautiful lilac dress and the awesome lilac hat. And she loves the swing in the park so much, so I took her with me when Daddy and I went to the park today. But I lost sight of her when the…monsters attacked. And when I was in the cage, I realized she was gone."

"I'm so sorry, Madelyn!"

Madelyn was still busy examining his plastron. She only whispered, "I thought it would make her happy to be at the park."

Leo couldn't help, but flung his arms around Madelyn and pulling her into a tight hug. Seeing her sad face had made his heart ache and he wished he could help the little darling. But all he could do now was hug her. And that he did.

He held her in his arms until she finally fell asleep. He then tucked her in, placing her teddy bear in her arms, stroking her little head and listening to her regular breathing for a few moments before he climbed outside.

When he was on the fire escape he realized it wasn't as late as he had thought. It still was dark.

He knew it was a slim chance but maybe he could find this doll Madelyn had been talking about. He thought he knew which park she had been talking about. There weren't so many parks around here, so he could at least give it a try. It would make Madelyn feel better if she got her doll back. And he would do or try anything to make her feel better.

* * *

Moments later he was rummaging the park. To call this place a mess was an understatement. There was debris everywhere, and garbage from a dumpster the giant rats must have knocked over was scattered all over the place. But Leo didn't care. He had a mission.

He had mentally divided the place into sectors and combed each of them for Madelyn's doll. So far he hadn't been successful. No sign of Daisy, the doll.

He noticed that it was nearly dawn, he knew he should leave now, but he couldn't.

_Just this last sector, please!_ , he thought.

With a grim look he was digging through a pile of debris. But when his hand touched something soft, he froze for a moment – only to dig even faster when light fell on something that looked like lilac fabric. And his face turned into a beam when moments later he held a doll in his hand – a doll in a lilac dress and a lilac hat. This had to be Daisy.

Sure, the doll was a bit banged up. There were stains all over her and she sure didn't smell too good. But Leo didn't care. He had found Madelyn's doll! He quickly put the doll under his arm and climbed a fire escape up to the roof.

* * *

When Madelyn woke up the next morning, she rubbed her eyes and looked around her room. She knew Mr. Turtle wouldn't still be there. He always disappeared before it got light. This was a superhero-thing. He had to do this. And it already was broad daylight. But the little girl needed to check anyway. And yes, the mutant turtle was gone, but her eyes widened in surprise and joy when she found someone else was there.

"Daisy!" she called out as she set eyes on the doll sitting on her window bench. She placed Ruffles McBearington on her pillow, ran over to the window and clasped the doll in her arms.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Daisy! I didn't mean to leave you behind!" she said and snuggled her face into the doll. The stains and smell didn't seem to annoy her. Actually, she couldn't care less. It was Daisy! She was back!

Tears of relief welled in Madelyn's eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Turtle," she whispered. "Thank you for saving me, Daddy, and Daisy."


	22. April's Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Dearing thanks April for saving his and his daughter’s life back in Rat King’s lair. But being seen as some sort of a hero by him and knowing her mutant friends will never get any credit for saving the city (again) makes April feel sad.

With a frown April looked down at Madelyn. Mr. Dearing had asked the teenage girl to pick his daughter up from school due to the fact he had to work long hours today again. Plus, he thought seeing April might cheer his little darling up a little bit. Ever since the incident with the Rat King, Madelyn was a bit down. At least the children at school and her teacher knew now that Madelyn was telling the truth. They had all seen the news about these giant rats.

Mr. Dearing had thought of taking Madelyn out from school until she was back to her old cheerful self, but Madelyn's teacher Mrs. Stenson had advised against it. She had told Mr. Dearing that it would be best to keep a normal daily routine, so Mr. Dearing had stuck to it.

And except from being sad, Madelyn was doing a great job. She was focused during classes, and only from time to time her sadness got the best of her. And the other children left her alone then, even Marcus. He had tried at first to cheer her up, but realizing that it wouldn't work he had decided to leave Madelyn alone until she got to him again. And when the sadness-phase was over, Madelyn was nearly as cheerful as she had been before being dragged away by a monster-rat some days ago.

April was sure Madelyn was going to recover soon, she just needed her time.

She smiled at the little girl and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Madelyn lifted her head and smiled back at her weakly.

Well, that was a start. But the frown on April's face grew deeper as her eyes fell on the doll Madelyn had been carrying around the past few days. It was the one she called Daisy and which she had lost in the park. April knew that Leo had gotten the doll back for his little friend, but Daisy really had seen better days. She was still very filthy and smelled nastily. But having this doll close seemed to give Madelyn security. And she had told her father that she would never leave Daisy behind again. On the one hand she was afraid of losing Daisy again and on the other hand knowing that Mr. Turtle had gotten her doll back reminded her of him and made her feel better. And that was the reason why Mr. Dearing didn't have the heart to snatch the doll from Madelyn to wash it.

But April had to confess that Daisy had somehow become an odor nuisance. She even had noticed how some of Madelyn's classmates had wrinkled their noses when Madelyn had passed them with Daisy in her arms. So April had decided it was about time to do something about it.

"Is Daisy alright?" April asked. "She looks a bit tired."

Madelyn looked at her doll, then at April. "She is a bit tired," she said. "But she can't sleep at night. She is too afraid she might get lost again. Although I promised her I would never lose her ever again."

"I think she knows that," April said. "And if you assure her every day that you are going to be there for her, I am sure her fear will disappear one day."

"Are you sure?"

April nodded. "Of course! And maybe I know something that would help her sleep."

"You do?" Madelyn's eyes widened in surprise. "What is it?"

"A relaxing bubble bath," April replied. "Think we should give it a try?"

Madelyn nodded in response.

* * *

"And that's it," April said as she rubbed the last stain out of Daisy's doll-hand.

She and Madelyn had filled the sink in the bathroom with warm water and washing powder so it could work as the doll's bathtub. Then April had cleaned the doll while Madelyn was watching closely, and now that the doll seemed to be as clean as possible April let the dirty water drain and washed out the rag doll with clean water. She then wrung it out a bit and handed Daisy over to Madelyn.

"Hope she liked the relaxing massage at the end," April explained with a smile.

Madelyn just nodded as she wrapped Daisy into a towel.

"And now let's find her a nice and sunny spot on the window bench where she can dry, okay?" April declared.

Madelyn just nodded again and then April and her left the bathroom in the direction of Madelyn's room.

* * *

Some time had passed – Daisy was still seated on the window bench and Madelyn and April were playing Go Fish on the floor – as the door to the apartment was unlocked and seconds later Mr. Dearing popped his head into Madelyn's room.

The moment his little daughter had set eyes on him she jumped to her feet, ran over to him and flung her arms around her father. Mr. Dearing gently patted her head and greeted April who now got to her feet as well with a smile.

"We made a relaxing bubble bath for Daisy," Madelyn explained as she let go of her father, "so that she can sleep again."

"That's nice," Mr. Dearing commented. But then he turned to April again.

"April, do you have a moment?" he asked. "I need to speak to you."

The teenage girl replied with a nod.

"Why don't you draw a picture in the meantime?" Mr. Dearing suggested to his daughter.

"Or I write my response to Mr. Turtle's letter," Madelyn suggested.

"An even better idea!" Mr. Dearing agreed with his daughter.

And while Madelyn grabbed her pink letter paper and her pen, April and Mr. Dearing left the room.

Mr. Dearing guided April into the kitchen, and then they were standing there, Mr. Dearing obviously fumbling for words.

"I…I…wanted to thank you, April," he finally managed to say.

"What for?" April asked in surprise.

"Are you kidding me?" Mr. Dearing burst out. "You have saved me and my daughter and all these other people from this hideous rat-freak."  
"Oh, that," April mumbled.

"That?" Mr. Dearing raised a brow. "You make it sound like it was nothing. I mean, you snuck in there and risked your life and saved us. This is a lot, April, a lot!"

_Well, it is a lot less if you have four ninja turtles and their rat master who do most of the work_ , April thought, but she knew she couldn't tell Mr. Dearing that.

"I mean you could have gotten hurt – or worse," the man said. "Why didn't you wait for the police?"

"There was no time for that," April explained. "All these people were dragged away by those monsters, and I somehow just reacted. And it worked."

"It sure did," Mr. Dearing confirmed. "But still, you could have gotten hurt."

April frowned at him. Wasn't he supposed to thank her? What with that lecture all of a sudden? Sure, for someone who didn't know anything about the turtles for someone who didn't even know they had been there, it must have looked like she had decided to face a dangerous villain all by herself.

"You were lucky that this chaos broke out and gave you cover."

April mentally sighed. She wished she could tell him that this chaos had been part of their plan, that she would never be so stupid to go after a villain all alone without any backup, but right now, she had to go with the "being stupid"-thing.

"I mean, had you thought about what this rat-freak could have done to you?"

April lowered her eyes and shook her head slightly.

"It was the stupidest thing you could have done." Mr. Dearing took a deep breath. "And the bravest thing I've ever seen."

And before April really knew what was going on, he had pulled her into a hug. April's eyes widened, but then she moved her arms and hugged him back. Aside from Master Splinter Mr. Dearing was the closest to a father figure there was right now in her life. And she simply had forgotten what it was like to be hugged by a father, a fully human one, and she was enjoying it. She couldn't resist, but smile when she realized even Mr. Dearing's scent resembled the one she remembered from her father a bit. For a moment an image of her father's recent mutant form appeared in her head, but she fought it back. She wouldn't let it ruin this moment.

"Thanks for saving us," Mr. Dearing said before he let go of her.

"You're welcome," April said with a warm smile.

"I remember Madelyn once showed me a pic she had drawn of you as some sort of a superhero," Mr. Dearing said. "And I guess she was right. You are a hero, April."

"Thank you, Mr. Dearing." The teenage girl blushed a little.

"Only telling the truth."

At that moment Madelyn called out for April from her room.

"April, I don't know how to write this word!"

"Coming, Madelyn!" April called back. She smiled at Mr. Dearing once more before she left the kitchen.

* * *

That evening April was waiting for Leo again – as always she was sitting on the window bench of her open window. And as always she knew he was there long before he appeared on the fire escape. She knew she should be used to this by now, but she still was surprised how much her kunoichi-skills had improved.

"Hey there, April!" Leo greeted his human friend.

"Hey there, Leo!" was the response as April reached for Madelyn's letter and handed it to him.

The mutant turtle looked at the letter for a moment before he tucked it under his belt.

"How is Madelyn doing?" he asked.

"Better, I guess," April answered. "She's nearly back to her old cheerful self. But she keeps clinging to her doll Daisy. At least I managed to wash it today, so that no-one will complain about its smell."

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't have time for that." Leo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry?" April looked at him with a surprise look on her face. "You dug through debris and garbage to find this doll and that very close to sunrise and you say you're _sorry?"_

"Well, I could have washed it…"

April placed a finger on Leo's mouth and thus shushed him.

"Don't!" she said strictly. "You risked being spotted just to find this doll, so you sure don't have to apologize."

She removed her finger again, but the moment she did that, Leo said, "But…" So she quickly put her finger back on his lips.

"No buts, Leo!" she said again. "Understood?"

Leo just nodded.

"Good." With a smile April removed her finger again.

Leo took a deep breath. "You think she is going to be alright?"

"Sure," April assured him. "She knows Mr. Turtle would never let her down. And neither would I. And her father thinks now that I am some sort of a superhero. He even thanked me for saving him and Madelyn."

The mutant turtle raised a brow.

"Well, he and the others didn't see you, so he thinks I rescued them all by myself," April explained.

"I see."

"It's just unfair, given the fact what you and the others did back there, so I feel a bit like a cheater and…"

This time it was Leo who shushed her by putting a finger on her lips.

"Don't!" he said, his voice just as strict as April's had been a few moments ago. "You did a great job back there! Don't feel like a cheater. You deserve to get some credit."

He removed his finger again.

"But you and the others did so much more! You deserve credit as well!" April objected. "All I did was…"

She was shushed again by Leo. "All you did was risking your life to save others. And I think that's more than enough to deserve some credit. Understood?"

April nodded. Leo's finger was still pressed against her lips, but when he saw her nod he removed it with a smile.

April turned her head away from him and hugged her knees.

"It's just not fair you and the others won't get _any_ credit _ever_ ," she mumbled.

Leo placed a hand on April's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"April, my brothers and I are supposed to stay in the shadows. We don't do it for the credit, you know."

"I know. But you still deserve it."

Leo just smiled at her, then climbed up to the rooftop and disappeared into the night.

April watched him leave. And at that moment she made a promise. If there was something she could do that the brothers one day would get credit for what they had done to save this city, this planet, she would do it.

_I promise, Leo, I promise._


	23. Touching the Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April tries to cheer Madelyn up with another photographer’s walk.  
> (This chapter takes place between "Of Rats and Men" and "The Manhattan Project".)

April was standing on the rooftop of Madelyn's apartment building and looking around. As always when she was on one of her photographer's walks, her camera was dangling around her neck.

She sighed. Whoever had come up with the idea to make the theme of this month's Theme Challenge on the photographer's board she was member of, "horizon" better not met her anytime soon in person. She had made like fifteen different horizon-photographs so far, and nothing looked quite right. She even had thought of dropping out of this month's competition, but two reasons had made her decide against it. The first one was that she had finished last month's competition second place which really was not so bad if you kept in mind that she had just started to have interest in photographing. So now her fans – yes, she really had fans on that board – were eagerly waiting for her contribution this month. And she didn't want to disappoint them. And second, Madelyn enjoyed helping her as her assistant and muse so much that she just didn't have the heart to tell her that there wouldn't be a photographer's walk for this month's competition.

April had realized that Madelyn was doing a bit better now. She even had managed to persuade the little girl to leave Daisy behind in the apartment, so that the doll could 'take a little nap', how April had put it. And Madelyn had agreed. This was the first obvious sign that she was feeling better.  
But she still needed some cheering up. She was still a bit nervous and anxious after the whole Rat King-incident. And helping April somehow boosted her self-esteem, made her more secure. And if that meant April had to take some more not so great looking photographs, the teenage girl would accept it.

"What about this, April?" Madelyn asked and pointed into the direction of the setting sun.

April quickly turned around, first to check if Madelyn really was staying away from the roof edge as April had hammered into her before they had come up here. And when she realized Madelyn had been paying attention and she really was staying away from the roof edge, she looked into the direction Madelyn was pointing at. And she was simply stunned.

With the setting sun behind her, Madelyn wasn't much more as a shadow, a dark figure against the red and orange light.

April smiled as an idea for a photograph formed in her head.

"Madelyn, you just gave me an awesome idea!" she said. "I really don't know what I would do without you."

Madelyn just smiled in response.

"Okay, could you please turn so that you're facing the setting sun?" Madelyn nodded and did as she was told. "And now spread your arms. Perfect!"

April knelt down and made sure that Madelyn's arms were on the same level as some of the buildings of New York's skyline and thus formed some sort of a line, a horizon. Madelyn's form against the setting sun, a small dark shadow against the last light of a passing day – it was just perfect.  
Last light of a passing day? April pondered. Maybe that would even work as a title. Or maybe just "Passing Day". Okayokay, she could think about that later, she told herself as she released the shutter.

She then looked at the photograph on the display, really pleased with the result. She beckoned Madelyn towards her and showed her the photograph.

The little girl just gasped.

April mentally patted her shoulder. Now that had worked pretty well. Madelyn seemed so much happier now, so much more like the little darling she was used to be. But April couldn't help, but wonder, if this had all been about making Madelyn feel better, why she herself just couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Thank you so much for saving Daisy! When I found her on the window sill I immediately knew you brought her there. And Daisy thanks you too for her rescue._  
 _She is having a rough time right now. She is afraid I lose her again, so she can't sleep well. I talked to April and we made a relaxing bubble bath for Daisy. It worked. She could sleep and she is better now, but still not good. April said I should tell Daisy that I would never leave her again. I did, and I agree with April that Daisy knows that I will never do this, but Daisy is still afraid. Do you know what to do?_  
 _April and I are going for some photographer's walk this week. I can't wait! Did you know she finished the last competition on this photographer's board second place? I think she was really proud when she told me about it. And it was one of the pictures I helped her with that made second place, so I was a bit proud myself._  
 _Mr. Beam was a great stand-in. He is funny and cheerful, and he really likes tea parties. Maybe he, April, you, and me can have a tea party together soon. What about Mr. Red? Do you think he would like to join us too? And what about your other brother? I bet it would cheer him up if he's still sad about his favorite toy got broken. We can have apple tea and green tea on our next tea party. What do you think?_  
 _Can I ask you for a favor, Mr. Turtle? I still want to learn how to defend myself and how to protect Daddy and Daisy and Ruffles McBearington. Can you teach me?_  
 _I hope to see you soon._

_Yours,_  
 _Madelyn_

Leo frowned when he read about Daisy's fears. He had realized that very often Madelyn talked about her toys' feelings in order to express how she herself was feeling. So this meant she still was afraid of being left behind, of being alone. Leo really had to think of what would be the best reply to that. But he finally had an idea.

He chuckled a bit when he read about April winning second place. That was really good for someone who had just started taking photographs – and not out of interest, but because of some small lie. So maybe the saying was true. Everything happened for a reason. Even lies, as it turned out now.  
Imaging Raph at a tea party made him laugh out loud. He could literally see his brother's grumpy face when Mikey would offer him a cup of tea. But Raph would play along as long as his short temper would allow him just to make a little girl happy. Leo was quite sure about this. Raph had a soft heart although he did a great job in hiding it. So he would just sit there, acting kind and polite, until Mikey would simply overdo it and cause Raph to hit him. Yes, that was totally how a tea party with Raph and Mikey would pass.

As for Donnie he would be the kindest gentleman someone could ever think of just to impress April.

Thinking of Donnie, his genius brother tried even harder to impress April now that Casey was around. Leo was pretty sure that April and Casey weren't dating – he had never imagined April to fall for someone rude and a bit arrogant like Casey, although he could be mistaken here –, but Donnie was seeing Casey as a rival here because he and April were spending time together.

Leo was still wondering if it really had been the first time it had occurred to Donnie that April could meet boys – human boys, to be accurate. Maybe his brother had just blinded out the fact that April was going to a normal high school with normal kids and that she sure was seeing other people than mutants. Leo thought his genius brother must have known about this, he just didn't like to think about it, obviously. And maybe not seeing April with other human kids – recent attacks from a certain kunoichi not included – had made it easier for him to shove this possibility aside.

But now the fact that he was forced to see April and Casey together – even though they were just friends – had brought all his doubts back. And that must be the reason why he was trying so hard. Leo knew it wasn't easy for Donnie, but so far he had been able to not let the dislike of Casey get the better of him. April seemed to like Casey, so that alone was enough reason for Donnie to not show his dislike too obviously.

Leo pondered. And maybe there was another reason Donnie tried to play along. Maybe his brother was still feeling guilty about what had happened to Raph's pet turtle Spike. If he hadn't messed up this experiment and Raph hadn't decided to keep the canister of mutagen in his room, Spike would never have mutated, Slash would never have attacked them. And Casey was Raph's friend now, he and the human teenager got along really well which had helped Raph to get back to his normal, hot-tempered self after losing Spike. Casey seemed to have filled the gab Spike had left in Raph's life a bit. And although Donnie complained about that they now had two Raphs around, Leo was pretty sure, deep down inside Donnie was happy Raph had found a new friend. And yes, that could be the other reason he hadn't given Casey a hard time now – of which Leo knew Donnie was totally capable of. It still made him shudder to think about the cleaning duty-debacle some time ago.

As for teaching Madelyn a thing or two about self-defense, Leo still wasn't convinced he could do that. But maybe this didn't matter. Maybe he had to do it, no matter what. Seeing Madelyn in one of Rat King's cages had made him realize that.

With a sigh he took his letter paper and started writing.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I am glad I could save you, your father, and Daisy. And it makes me happy that you all are reunited again._  
 _As for what you can do to help Daisy, all I can think of is what April has already told you. Assure her that you are there for her, that you will never lose her again. And I agree with April. Daisy knows you would never leave her again. She is just afraid because such bad things have happened to her. And she knows that it wasn't your fault as well. She just needs to recover. Give her some time so these bad memories can fade away and she will be back to normal._  
 _Or tell her an example from your life. Tell her that Mr. Turtle would never let you down even though he can't be around you all the time. That's the truth. I am always going to do all I can to save you, Madelyn. And just as I am sure Daisy knows that you would never leave her behind, I hope you know that I would never leave you. I will always do all in my power to prevent anything bad to happen to you, and I would do anything to save you. Never forget that, Madelyn, okay?_  
 _No, April didn't say anything about her second place! I sure have to talk to her about this. This is awesome! I know she is a great photographer, and I am happy other people can see her talent as well._  
 _I thought so. Yes, Mr. Beam is really funny and I can ask if he wants to join our next tea party. I will ask Mr. Red and my other brother as well. I am just not sure when we will have the time. Something strange is going on in this city and we have to find out what's wrong first._  
 _My other brother is doing a lot better now. But I am sure he would like to join our next tea party._  
 _I've been thinking about this, Madelyn, and yes, I am going to teach you how to defend yourself. I have realized that though I would prefer to be one-hundred percent sure that I am ready to be someone's teacher, things sometimes just don't go the way I would like them to. I will ask April to help me with this. She sees you more often than I do, and you can learn a lot more if she helps you as well. Would that be okay?_  
 _I'll try to come over for a short visit on the weekend._

_Yours,_  
 _Mr. Turtle_


	24. Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Leo finally agreed to show Madelyn how to defend herself, April asks why he waited such a long time to do so.  
> (This chapter takes place right before "The Manhattan Project".)

April entered the lair at an easy pace. She was feeling so much better after spending some time with Madelyn, and with a smile on her face she looked around the living room. Raph was exercising some kicks on the practice dummy and Mikey was lounging around on the couch, watching a "Super Robo Mecha Force Five!"-episode. He lazily waved at April and Raph just stopped his training for a split second to wave at her.

April scanned the room for Donnie and Leo, but the noise level coming from Donnie's lab which she could hear between the thudding sounds of the practice dummy when it received a kick by Raph assured her that the Turtles' genius was working in his lab. And he must be pretty caught up in his work if he hadn't heard April entering the lair. He usually dropped everything just to say hi to her. The only exception was when he was so wrapped up in his own little working-bubble, he didn't realize anything else. And this happened quite often now that he was working on a retro-mutagen.  
April made a mental note to check on Donnie later. He had a tendency of forgetting to eat when he was working, and she bet his brothers hadn't thought of bringing him something to eat yet. So this was up to her.

With a sigh April listened for any noises coming from the kitchen to check if Leo was there, but there was nothing to be heard.

"Where's Leo?" she finally asked.

"In his room," Mikey replied.

"Why?" Raph asked without interrupting his training nor looking at her. "You got another pink letter for him from his little friend?" He smirked.

"Actually, I do," April explained with a frown. "What's so funny?"

"What is not funny about Leo having a little girl as a pen pal and writing about tea parties and unicorns and dolls?" Raph replied.

"How do you know what they are writing about?" April asked.

Raph froze, just bringing up his left hand in time to stop the swinging practice dummy from hitting his plastron. "I…uhm…just…know."

April crossed her arms over her chest. "Not because you snuck into Leo's room and read these letters?"

"…No."

April just blew a raspberry, and for the first time now Mikey sat up and shot his brother a disapproving glance.

"I…I was worried," Raph said. "What if this was a trap set up by the Kraang or the Foot or…"

April wagged a finger at Raph. "You are too worried, Raph, you know that? And I am going to tell Leo about this later. You are going to have to make up for this."

"Yeah, by taking over his cleaning duty, for example," Mikey added.

Raph just growled. "Fine!" Then he started hitting the practice dummy again.

April slightly shook her head as she continued her path to Leo's room.

She could hear Mikey address Raph again.

"Besides," the youngest turtle said, "Madelyn is very real and the sweetest little darling one can think of."

"She could be Foot!"

"She is _not_! You would know that if you'd have met her."

"I have already met her!"

"Technically, crashing through her room doesn't really count as 'meeting her', you know."

Raph just grunted in response.

* * *

When April entered Leo's room after the mutant turtle asked her in after her knock at the door, she found him sitting on his bed, his laptop on his lap like she had seen him so many times before.

"What you're up to, Leo?" April asked with a smile as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Watching this one-hour-special of 'Unicornia' Madelyn told me about," Leo replied, but then put his laptop aside.

"And is it good?" April asked.

"It's okay, I guess," Leo replied. "You know I am only watching this for Madelyn."

April looked at him with a smirk. "Really?"

Leo returned her look unimpressed. "Really."

April's smirk turned into a broad grin. "Really really?"

Leo tried to keep that earnest look on his face, but finally it broke into a smile. "Okay, okay, _maybe_ I like it a little," he confessed, but then he turned earnest again. "If you tell the others…"

"…you'll beat the green off me?"

"That's what Raph would do!" Leo said. "And where exactly is there any green on you?"

April swayed her head. "True. How about you smack the yellow of my shirt?"

"Another Raph-phrase," Leo chuckled.

"Then I'm out of ideas," April admitted and shrugged, a smirk still plastered on her face. "How come Raph does all the tough talking?"

"Because that's what Raph is good at," Leo chuckled again.

"And what you do is being a great leader and an amazing friend to a little girl," April said as she took Madelyn's latest letter out of her messenger bag and handed it to Leo. "Yeah, I guess I can overlook that you suck at tough talking, then."

"Geez, Arpil, since when did you join the 'Teasing Leo'-group?" Leo asked as he put the letter on his bedside table.

April shrugged. "I dunno. You still have a lot to make up for for making me start a whole new hobby just to cover you, I guess."

"It's not my fault you couldn't think of anything else than photographing!" Leo said defensively. "Besides, you are really good at it. You finished second place in a competition, _Miss Green_!"

"I am never going to understand how you came up with that nickname!" April said.

"That's what happens when I try to do things my brothers can do better! Mikey is the one for naming stuff!" Leo replied. "Besides, it was some sort of a revenge for you forcing me into using green letter paper."

"But it fits you!"

"As 'Miss Green' does fit you, then! And how long are you trying to overplay the fact that you won _second place_?!"

Leo folded his arms over his chest and jutted his chin forward stubbornly.

April had to bite her lip down hard to not burst out into laughter because Leo's current appearance had made her think of Madelyn's tantrum last time when Leo had said he couldn't come over for a visit. Looks like not only Mr. Turtle was affecting Madelyn, no, this worked the other way round as well.  
She waited till the urge to laugh had died down before she spoke up.

"Sorry, I would have told you some time, I guess," she finally said.

"That's pretty good, you know," Leo said as the stubborn look disappeared from his face and was replaced by a warm smile.

April lowered her eyes and shyly brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "It's nothing," she mumbled.

"Stop hiding your light under a bushel! You're a great photographer!" Leo said.

April looked at him. "Thank you, Leo."

Leo sat up and placed a hand on April's shoulder. "You're welcome," he said with a smile.

April returned his smile, and when Leo put his hand away, she spoke up again. "So, you agreed to train Madelyn?" she asked. "She was talking about this the entire day. She is so excited!"

Leo smiled wryly. "Yeah, that."

"Huh?" April raised a brow. "You don't sound so convinced."

Leo sighed. "Well, I know it is important that Madelyn knows how to defend herself in case something bad happens to her. I'm not sure if it would help when a giant rat monster tries to drag her away again, though, but it would help her if some crazy guy tries to kidnap her."

April nodded. "I agree. But I wonder why you haven't done that earlier. I know Madelyn asked you to."

Leo sighed again. "It's…complicated."

"Why?"

Leo sighed. "It's something sensei taught us. If you train someone, you are responsible. And my whole friendship with Madelyn never had anything to do with responsibility. Actually, the reason I loved my friendship with Madelyn so much was that I didn't have to take responsibility for her, that I could just be me, not the leader, not the ninja, just Mr. Turtle."

April frowned at him.

"Don't get me wrong!" Leo explained. "Madelyn means a lot to me and I would give my life to save her! It's just that I don't want to be responsible if anything happens to her."

"But you won't be! On the contrary, if you show her how to defend herself, you will save her, in a way," April said. "Leo, I know you can do that. You are going to be a great teacher! And Madelyn is no member of your team. She won't join you on life-threatening missions. It still is different with her!"  
"I know that here!" Leo said and tipped a finger against his forehead. "But I don't know it here!" He placed his hand over his chest where his heart was pounding underneath his plastron.

April gave Leo a look of commiseration, took his hand that rested on his plastron into hers hand and held it for a moment, squeezing it gently.

"You are going to know it there as well one day, Leo," she said with a warm smile. "You are just a bit afraid because it really means some responsibility, and as a leader you already seem to have to bear to much responsibility on your shoulders, but I know you are going to handle it just greatly."

"Thank you, April!"

"You are welcome, Leo."

"Oh, that reminds me," Leo said, as he gave April's hand a stronger squeeze and finally let go of her hand, "Could you help me a bit? I don't see Madelyn as often as you do and maybe you could go over what I teach her from time to time. I guess it would help her a lot."

April smirked at him. "Are you trying to pass some of that responsibility on me?"

"No, I…I…," Leo stammered, until he lowered his head a bit and looked up at April with puppy dog eyes. "Maybe a little," he mumbled.

That looked so cute that April had to bite down her lip again or else a long-drawn-out "awwwwwwwwww" would have escaped her mouth.

"That's okay," she said with a chuckle to conceal the still waiting "awwwwwwwwww" on her tongue. "I am Madelyn's babysitter, so I know what taking some responsibility is like. I think we can handle this, _partner_!"

She held out her hand and Leo shook it.

"Alright, partner!" he said with a smirk.

_From mailwoman to babysitter to photographer to partner in such a short amount of time, not bad_ , April thought, returning Leo's smirk.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Thank you very much for your advice. I tried to assure Daisy that I always am there for her, and she keeps saying that she understands, but that she still is afraid she gets lost again. I do my best by playing with her and spending as much time with her as I can. I hope this helps her._  
 _I know you are always there for me, Mr. Turtle. But sometimes it is hard to remember because we see each other not so often. Do you think we can meet more often? I know it is hard for you because you are a superhero and need to fight the bad guys, but I think it would help Daisy too if she sees that someone who really can protect us is around us more often. I know April is a superhero too but she only is a part-time superhero because she has school and she is my babysitter too. And she is a photographer. There isn't much time left for her being a superhero and doing superhero-stuff. Is she a good superhero, Mr. Turtle? Maybe if I can assure Daisy that April is a great superhero it helps her._  
 _Something strange is going on? This sounds dangerous. Please be careful, Mr. Turtle! But I am sure whatever it is you can handle it. You defeated the rat monsters and the creepy guy with the ugly face and you saved Daddy and me and brought Daisy back to me. You can do anything, Mr. Turtle! You're a superhero. I believe in you. And after you saved the city we can have a tea party altogether to celebrate this – you, me, April, Mr. Red, Mr. Beam, and your other brother. This will be awesome!_  
 _Thank you so, so much, Mr. Turtle! I can't wait to learn how to defend myself and protect Daisy and Daddy! And it is okay if April helps too. Can I have such a beautiful fan she has? I still have to ask her how it works. I didn't have time to do so before._  
 _I hope you can come over for a visit on the weekend! Fingers crossed!_

_Yours,_  
 _Madelyn_


	25. Unexpected Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their encounter with Tigerclaw Leo tries to get his thoughts straight.  
> This chapter takes place after the one-hour special "The Manhattan Project".

With a frustrated outcry Leo crumpled up the piece of letter paper he had written down on and flung it on the ground, letting it join all these other crumpled-up pieces of green letter paper that were already scattered around his bed.

Leo looked down at the floor for a moment and made a mental note to tell April to get more letter paper for him soon. If he kept up this crumpling-up-thing up, he would be run out of letter paper by tomorrow.

With a sigh he jumped to his feet. Maybe walking around would help him figure out what to write to Madelyn. So many things had happened in the past days that he simply had no idea where to start.

Not only had they had to face a new – and admittedly deadly – enemy, no, they had nearly lost their sensei, not to speak of the near-death experience they had all been going through. To call it "a lot to deal with" was a slight understatement. No, actually it was a _big_ one.

Leo was walking around his room restlessly, his steps firm, his whole body tensed. Every now and then he ran his hand over his forehead as if to wipe away another thought that was disturbing the thought he was focusing on, but it just didn't work. His thoughts were a mess, a knot, a bundle, and he had no idea how to get this straight.

He paused for a moment, took a deep breath and tried to relax. Okay, he would try to do this one more time, although he had his doubts that he would manage arranging his thoughts now, but maybe if he got over the facts bit by bit, it would help.

He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath, and went over the events of the last days.

There had been this encounter with Karai and the Foot, his attempt to tell her who her real father was. Then his talk to sensei about this, and then Splinter had revealed to the others that Karai actually was his daughter.

Then there had been these dimensional portals. Seeing himself in another dimension sure had been odd, but this wasn't exactly what disturbed him. So he checked this matter off as settled.

After that there had been Tigerclaw, their newest enemy who had managed to capture him, Raph and Mikey, and who had forced him to call sensei which had ended up in Splinter getting captured as well. Leo could still feel how feared he had been of losing his father, but Mikey, Raph, and him had managed to come up with a plan and rescue him. He knew how lucky they had been to defeat Tigerclaw and the rest of Shredder's henchmen, and if it hadn't been for April's idea to ride a Kraathatrogon to cause some distraction and Donnie reversing this portal's polarity to get everything back to normal, they most likely would be dead now. But they were alive, they were fine, all of them, so no, this wasn't was caused his uneasiness.

Was it the fact he could lose his brothers? No, not really. This always was a possibility and he knew that. It was his worst fear, a fear he had to face each and every day, but he was able to cope with it.

Maybe it was the fear of losing his sensei, his father. But he had known of this possibility all along. Just like his brothers, his fear to lose Splinter was there in the back of his head every day, and again, he had learnt to deal with it.

So there was only one thing left that could be responsible for all of this – Karai. Again. What was it that this woman managed to disturb his thoughts every time? Okay, he knew she was Splinter's daughter, he knew her real name was Miwa, but as sensei had told them, it was her decision to accept the truth or not. There was actually nothing he could do about it. So why couldn't he stop thinking about it then?

He had been so eager to tell her the truth. It had been a confirmation of his perception of her being different when he had been told by sensei that Karai was actually Miwa. Now she really was different. She was no ordinary Foot, not only following Shredder's orders without second thoughts, deep down inside she was Splinter's, no, Hamato Yoshi's daughter. She knew it now, she just needed to accept it.

He had been right about her. And all this time this tiny hope inside him that one day Karai would leave the Foot and join them, had never completely died down, not when she had captured him, not when she had tried to kill him. And now this hope had thrust itself forward, had become more and more important. And it had been fueled when Splinter had told them that Karai had stopped Shredder from killing him. This had showed him that she was starting to become adjusted to the truth, that maybe she would be able to accept it soon.

This was his hope, his one big hope – that the good inside her would actually show. That she would accept who she was.

And it was this one big hope only he allowed himself to think about. As for his other hopes about her, he had pushed them back inside his head as far as possible. Had he still feelings for her? He didn't want to think about it. Sure, Karai was Splinter's daughter, but this didn't make her his sister. They were neither related nor had they grown up together. He didn't see her as a sister. Maybe he never would. Maybe he still had a crush on her and just didn't show it as much as earlier when they had just met. Maybe he still saw her as love interest. But that were only maybes, nothing he wanted to think through right now. He just refused to tolerate these thoughts about his feelings for her. There were important things to do – like making her understand what being Hamato Yoshi's daughter really meant. It meant that Shredder had been lying to her all her life, it meant that she was allowed to be good. And that was the reason why all his other thoughts and hopes about her had to remain hidden, had to remain un-thought and un-hoped. For now.

Leo opened his eyes again. He wasn't really feeling better, but at least his head didn't feel like it was going to explode with all these rumbling thoughts, so it was a bit of a progress.

He sat down on the bed again, picking up letter paper and pencil, but after a few moments he tossed them aside again as he hit on another idea. And with a slight smile he jumped to his feet and left his room.

* * *

April opened the window to a hectic knocking on the glass only to find Leo outside on the fire escape.

"Geez, Leo," she said to him. "Where's the fire?"

"April, I need your help", Leo blurted out. "Do you have apple tea? We only have green tea and herbal tea. And could you please prepare a thermos bottle of apple tea? I have no idea where our thermos bottle had disappeared to, but it's gone. Probably Donnie needed it for one of his experiments. So could you, please? I mean, only if you have apple tea at home, of course. If you don't, could you please go to the supermarket and buy some? I know it's already evening, but the one around the corner is open twenty-four hours, right? So, it would be great, ifffff…"

He was silenced as April pressed both her hands against his lips, his last word muffled by that.

April closed her eyes and furrowed her brow as she went over all the information Leo had given her in a few seconds, trying to figure out what the important message was.

"You need a thermos bottle of apple tea, right?" she finally said as she opened her eyes and looked at Leo.

The mutant turtle nodded because April's hands on his mouth still hindered him from talking.

"Good," the teenage girl said. "We have apple tea at home. My aunt loves it. And we do have a thermos bottle as well, so I am going to prepare what you asked me for, okay?"

Leo nodded again.

"And while I am doing so, you stay out there and calm down," April demanded. "Or else you might get a heart attack."

Leo nodded again, but when April put her hands away he took a deep breath and wanted to say something.

"Nah-ah!" April stopped him before he could speak up. _"Calm down!"_

Leo breathed out audibly and nodded again.

"Good boy." April smiled at him and then left her room.

* * *

When she came back with a thermos bottle full of apple tea she eyed him up as she stepped up to the window.

"Better?" she asked.

Leo just nodded.

"You know you can speak now," April said.

"Okay," Leo said. "I'm better."

"So what was all this rush about?"

Leo shrugged insecurely. "I dunno. I had this idea of visiting Madelyn tonight and bring her her favorite tea, so I rummaged our kitchen for some apple tea and our thermos bottle, but couldn't find either. It turned out we don't have apple tea at home and that our thermos bottle had disappeared. But I had spent so much time looking for these that it was getting later and later, so I could only think of asking you for help to somehow still make it to Madelyn before she goes to sleep."

"You know she wouldn't mind if you wake her up, right?" April asked.

"I do, but I don't want to wake her up," Leo explained. "She's a kid, she needs her sleep."

April thought about that for a moment. "I see," she finally said. "But you could have sent a text message instead of knocking at my window as if the house was on fire. I thought God-knows-what had happened."

Leo smiled at her sheepishly. "Sorry. I guess I was too stressed out to think of that."

April theatrically rolled her eyes, but then she smiled at Leo and handed him the thermos bottle.

"Give Madelyn my regards," she said with a wink.

"I will," Leo assured before he took the thermos bottle. He waved at April and then disappeared into the night.

* * *

Madelyn was lying in her bed, holding Daisy close to her and trying to fall asleep. However, she had problems with that tonight. She kept thinking about these disturbing earthquakes – as probably did most of New York's inhabitants now. Would there be more of them? Would they get worse? Her father hadn't been able to tell her, so she had decided to ask Mr. Turtle about it or April, but she wouldn't see April before tomorrow when the teenager would pick her up from school as she usually did on Thursdays. This meant she wouldn't get a letter from Mr. Turtle before tomorrow either and couldn't ask him about the earthquakes in her reply before the day after tomorrow. And even then, she wouldn't get a reply to her letter before the weekend – which was when Mr. Turtle said he would try to visit her anyway. So either way, her questions would have to wait until tomorrow.  
  
She closed her eyes again, but she still didn't feel tired. So she really squeezed her eyes shut now, thinking that maybe that would make her feel more tired. But after a few moments she realized it didn't.

The moment she opened her eyes again, there was a knock on her window. She sat up and looked to the window, but when she realized who was waiting outside for her to let him in she jumped out of her bed, ran over to the window and opened it.

"Mr. Turtle!" she cried out.

"Shhhhhhhttttt!" Leo tried to shush her. "You don't want your father to hear you, right?"

"Daddy's asleep," Madelyn clarified when Leo knelt down so he could hug her and she immediately flung her arms around his neck. "He will only wake up when I cry for help."

"Okay, I see," Leo said as he placed his one hand on her back and gently patted it.

When Madelyn let go of him the little girl stepped back and eyed him up.

"Did you stop the earthquakes, Mr. Turtle?" she asked earnestly.

"We did," Leo assured her.

"There won't be any more of them?"

"Not in the near future."

Madelyn's earnest look turned into a beam. "I knew it!"

Leo chuckled.

"And now to the next item of business, the most important one," Leo said with a smile as he held out the thermos bottle to Madelyn. "Let's have some tea."

Madelyn gasped in surprise and clasped her hands against her mouth.

Moments later they were seated at Madelyn's little table, sipping apple tea out of Madelyn's plastic tea cups.

The little girl was telling Leo about what had happened in her life the past days, how school was, how Billy still left her alone, and how she and Marcus were becoming better and better friends.

Leo's was listening with a warm smile on his face.

And for the first time in days now he felt how his body relaxing and how he calmed down. For the first time in days he was actually feeling good.  
That was the reason why he loved Madelyn so much. That was the reason why he loved being her Mr. Turtle.


	26. Poor Little Darling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn has the flu. April tries to cheer her up.

Madelyn was lying on the couch, her head and most of her back resting on a big pillow, her whole body wrapped up in a duvet, a cup of tea and a glass of apple juice placed on the coffee table in front of her. Her doll Daisy was sitting on the floor within Madelyn's reach, its face turned to the TV.  
Madelyn heard a knock on the door, but she didn't feel well enough to lift her head. So her eyes kept set on the TV where an episode of "Unicornia" was on.

Her father opened the door for April who entered cautiously.

"How is she doing?" the teenage girl asked Mr. Dearing.

"Better," he replied. "But it's the flu, so this is going to take a while. We knew it could happen. Some kids in her school were having the flu lately. But anyways, thanks for your help, April."

"Don't mention it!" April replied with a smile.

"I'll be back as soon as I am done with the grocery shopping," Mr. Dearing said. "I just don't want her to be alone. But there are some things you have to do even when you are working from home because your daughter is sick."

"I could have done the grocery shopping, too," April said. "If you don't want to leave Madelyn."

"And let you drag the heavy bags home? No way!" Mr. Dearing warded off.

He then went to Madelyn's sickbed, bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll have to do some shopping, April's here, if you need something, okay?"

Madelyn just nodded in response.

"Okay, I'll be quick!" And with that Mr. Dearing left the apartment, just saying his "Good bye!" to April before he closed the door.

April went over to Madelyn and sat down on the couch at Madelyn's feet.

"How're you doing, Madelyn?" the teenage girl asked. "Better?"

Madelyn nodded. "Better, yes. But I have a terrible headache."

"Poor little darling!" April said sympathetically. "I'm afraid that's part of having the flu and of having been feverish. At least your fever is down, your father told me on the phone. That's a good sign. It means it's starting to get better."

"Okay." Madelyn nodded again, but the look on her face was so suffering, April wished she could say something to cheer the little girl up.  
"You remember Mr. Turtle had the flu recently as well?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And now he is back to normal, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And do you know what made him feel better, what really helped him to recover?"

"Uh-uh."

"Well," April said with a smile and gently patted the duvet where she knew Madelyn's feet where underneath, "he had a great doctor and a gentle family that took care of him. And you have that too."

"Doctor Merry is great," Madelyn admitted. "And Daddy is super-nice, and you are here too." For the first time that day the little girl smiled. "So I am going to be good soon, right?"

"Of course!" April said. "And to put the cherry on the cake, Mr. Turtle told me he would try to visit you in the next days. He was really worried when I told him you were sick. But for the meantime, he sends you this." And with that she pulled the typical green letter out of her bag and gave it to Madelyn.

The little girl smiled, but then she frowned. "But I have such a terrible headache, I can't read it now."

"You can read it when you're better, no worries."

Madelyn curled her lips. "But I want to read it now!"

April flinched mentally. That sounded like there was the danger of another tantrum at hand. Sure, Madelyn was weakened by the flu, but maybe that was even more dangerous because the girl couldn't control herself so much now.

"What about I read the letter to you, Madelyn?" she suggested quickly. "I mean, if it is okay for you that I read it, of course."

April wasn't sure what she had expected, maybe that Madelyn would cry out because of her inappropriate suggestion and say that their letters were for her and Mr. Turtle only, but the little girl just nodded and handed the letter back to April.

The teenage girl hesitated a bit, before she took the letter. She looked at Madelyn once more to make sure the girl really didn't want to stop her, but she just looked at April expectantly.

So April yanked the letter open and took the letter out of the envelope. She unfolded it and scanned it, getting herself used to Leo's handwriting – which was copperplate, April had to admit.

Then she took a deep breath and started reading.  
 _  
_ _Dear Madelyn,_

_I hope you enjoyed our tea party as much as I did. It was really nice. And I hope it helped Daisy to understand that I will always be there for her as well. And I even managed to come for a visit earlier than the weekend, so I guess crossing your fingers really worked._   
_April told me that you are down with the flu. I am so, so sorry to hear that! Poor you! I hope you get well soon, Madelyn!_   
_You know I was down with the flu some time ago too, and I know how awful this is. But it will pass. I know it will. This is what my brother and doctor always told me. And he was right. He is always right. He is the smart brother, you must know._   
_Thanks for your belief in me. My brothers, my father, April, and our friend managed to save the city. It was close, but we did it. And I hope as soon as you have recovered we can have our victory tea party. I can ask my brothers if they want to join us._   
_As for your training, just like our tea party this will have to wait until you have totally recovered. Then we can talk about what your training is going to look like. By the way, April agreed helping me with your training. So it would be a good start if you ask her about her fan first, don't you think? After all, you love her fan so much, and I bet she would love to explain to you how it works._   
_I watched the one hour-'Unicornia'-special and it was really good. I loved Tallulah Twinkle in that episode. But this new princess Mille Grazie was great, too. I like that she has a nickname and her friends call her 'Milly'. Is she going to show up in later episodes as well? And who was your favorite in this special?_   
_By the way, did you have a chance to watch more 'Space Heroes'-episodes?_   
_Get well soon, Madelyn!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

April had hesitated a bit when she had read the part about Madelyn asking her about her fan. Madelyn was still interested in her tessen?

And when she was finished she realized Madelyn had lowered her eyes a bit, avoiding eye-contact. Knowing the little girl for quite some time now, April assumed she was a bit shy because now April knew she wanted to know more about her weapon.

She beamed at the little girl.

"So it looks like we are all going to have a victory tea party soon," she said cheerfully. "Isn't that awesome?"

Madelyn nodded shyly.

_Okay, that didn't work_ , April thought. _Usually, tea parties cheer her up within moments. Time to think of something else!_

April put the letter back in the envelope and placed it on the coffee table. Then she started rummaging in her messenger bag and put her tessen out.

"Okay, Madelyn, what do you want to know?" she asked with a smile.

Madelyn looked at her, her eyes widening in surprise.

"You are going to tell me?" she asked. "It is so beautiful! I want to have one too! But I thought I won't get one because you told me it was dangerous."

"Of course I am going to tell you," April assured her. "And if you want to have a tessen too one day, you need to understand why it is dangerous. So I am going to show you."

She rummaged in her bag again and put a piece of paper out. Then she flicked the tessen open and cut the piece of paper in two halves with it.  
"This is why it is dangerous," April explained. "It is sharp here and you could easily cut yourself badly, if you aren't careful. And it works a bit like a boomerang when you throw it, so you need to learn how to catch it again, without getting hurt. It means a lot of practice to handle it properly, and I am just a beginner. There is still so much for me to learn. And I think your tessen-training has to wait until I am better at it and until you have learned all the basics you need to know before we can talk about you getting your own tessen. That's what it's called, by the way."

"I know," Madelyn said. "Mr. Turtle told me. But I prefer 'fan'." She beamed at April.

The teenage girl smiled at her. "Okay." Then she flicked the tessen closed again and took it back into her bag.

When she had sat up again, she looked at Madelyn and the little girl was still beaming at her.

"Uhm, is there anything else you want to know?" she asked.

Madelyn nodded eagerly.

"Who was Mr. Turtle's doctor?" she burst out.

April's eyes widened.

_From weapons to doctors_ , she thought. _This girl really makes some mental jumps._

But then a big grin appeared on her face as she said, "Doctor Donnie!"

* * *

On the evening of the same day – Mr. Dearing had insisted April stayed for dinner – April and Leo were meeting on the fire escape in front of April's room again. As always, April was seated on the window bench.

"So, how is Madelyn doing?" Leo asked immediately.

"Better," April replied.

"You sure?"

"Yes, Leo, I _am_ sure," April said. "A flu must not be taken lightly, true, but she really is doing better. I bet Mr. Dearing would never have let me near her if she still was contagious." She chuckled a bit. "Something he and Donnie have in common, I guess."

"Well, you are important to both of them," Leo said.

Then he mentally slapped his hand against his forehead. He and his brothers had this deal – never talk to April about Donnie's crush on her. It was okay to make fun of Donnie a bit, but they had agreed they would never tell him that he might not have a shot with April. And then they had agreed once again on it when Raph had forgotten about it.

So Leo wracked his brain for something he could say to cover Donnie.

"As…as you are to all of us," he said quickly, followed by an insecure giggle.

April choked a chuckle. "I know," she said. "And you are all important to me as well."

"Well, what surprised me was that she was so curious about my tessen," April said after a few moments of silence. "I thought she had lost interest in it after I told her that it was a dangerous weapon."

"Are you kidding me?!" Leo burst out. "She asked me about it right after your little lecture. I guess she was interested in it from the first moment she saw, but was too shy to ask you .But I told her she really should ask you. It is your weapon of choice, you know." He shrugged. "If she wants to know anything about katanas, send her my way, but for tessens, that's your special subject."

"You know that I still have a long way to go until a tessen could be considered as my _special subject_ ," April said. "As much as I hate to admit it."

Leo placed a hand on your shoulder. "But you are getting there."

"I hope you're right," April sighed.

"I _am_ right," Leo said with a wink.

April just giggled silently.

"By the way," she said then, "I think Madelyn is going to invite you and the others to a victory tea party soon."

Now it was Leo's turn to sigh. "I was afraid you were going to say that." He lowered his eyes. "I am not sure if I am ready to share her with the others."

"I know," April said as she placed her hand on Leo's that was still resting on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "But you're getting there. And you are always going to be Madelyn's Mr. Turtle and thus you are always going to be special to her."

"You sure?"

April smiled at him warmly. "I _am_ sure."

Instead of an answer Leo just returned her smile.


	27. Sick Bed Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey has an idea how to cheer Madelyn up.

"Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeo!" Mikey called out as he burst into Leo's room.

"Mikey!" the Turtles' leader who was sitting on his bed and reading a 'Space Heroes'-comic said angrily. "Knocking!"

Mikey froze, then a sheepish grin appeared on his face.

"Oh right!" he mumbled as he backed out of Leo's room and closed the door again, only to knock at it and burst in again with another "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeo!"-outcry.

"Wait for me to ask you in!" Leo told him this time.

Mikey stopped again, letting out a frustrated sigh. "But Leo…"

"You heard me!"

With another sigh Mikey backed out and closed the door once more. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Leo said in a super-friendly voice, and the same instant the door was torn open and Mikey darted inside.

"Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeo! It's terrible!"

Leo frowned for a second, but then jumped to his feet.

"What do you mean? What happened?" he asked anxiously. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Mikey blinked a few times. "But you told me to knock and wait until you ask me in," he mumbled.

"But that doesn't apply when it is an emergency!"

"How am I supposed to know that?!" Mikey replied angrily. "You told me to knock, and then you told me to wait until you ask me in, and that's what I did!"

"Okay, okay." Leo gestured soothingly. "Now tell me what happened. Is everyone okay?"

"No!" Mikey replied which made Leo hold his breath with shock. "I talked to April when she stopped in the living room on her way home and asked her how Madelyn was, and she told me that Madelyn is down with the flu! And that's terrible!"

Leo let out a deep breath, all his tension fading away with this one breath.

"I already knew that, Mikey," Leo explained. "And she is on the road to recovery. So no need to worry. Madelyn is going to be fine again pretty soon."

"But she's unwell!" Mikey looked at his oldest brother, his eyes wide with concern. "We gotta make her feel better!"

"Mikey, there isn't much we can do," Leo said. "I appreciate your concern, and I am sure Madelyn would do so, too, but all we can do is wait for her to get better."

Mikey pressed his lips into a thin line, lowering his eyes. "But…"

Leo placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "She is getting better, believe me," he said.

He did his best to sound sure-footed, although he himself was worried about Madelyn as well. He wished he could check right now on her, or stay with her until she was better, but he couldn't. Maybe he would be able to visit her after tonight's patrol, but given the fact that Madelyn was sick and thus her father was extra-attentive to not miss any of her calls if she needed something, he would have to be more careful than ever before. And knowing Madelyn's habit of calling out his name whenever he appeared on the fire escape sure had him worried that this time Mr. Dearing might hear her and that he would have to leave before he would even be able to talk to Madelyn. This would make the little darling even more upset, he was quite sure, and he wanted her to feel better, not to be sad. Being sick was sad enough on its own.

He felt the urge to sigh, but he choked it. It wouldn't fit the self-footed appearance he was going for.

Mikey looked at Leo, letting out a sigh, sounding just as sad as the one Leo still was fighting back would have sounded.

"I know," he mumbled.

But then Mikey scanned Leo's room until he let his eyes rest on the bookshelf. He furrowed a brow until something he saw made his eyes light up.

"Mrs. Sparkling Hair!" he burst out.

Leo put his hand away from Mikey's shoulder and turned to his bookshelf, looking at Madelyn's doll.

"What about her?" he asked.

"Can I have her for a while?" Mikey asked.

Leo frowned. "Why?"

"I have an idea," Mikey explained. "Trust me!" He gave his brother a big grin.

Leo's frown deepened, but he then slowly went to the bookshelf, carefully taking Madelyn's doll in his hand.

"You are going to be very, very careful with her, understood?" he told Mikey with a serious look in his eyes.

"Of course!" Mikey said. "I'm always careful with her! You should know that! Nothing happened to her when I showed her around the lair, right?"

"Oooooookay." Leo narrowed his eyes, giving his brother another serious look, before he handed him the doll.

"Thanks!" Mikey grinned at Leo before he turned to the doll.

"Well, hello, Mrs. Sparkling Hair!" he greeted it. "It has been brought to my attention that our very good friend Madelyn is suffering from the flu, so I've come up with a well-conceived plan to make her feel better. But I need your highly appreciated assistance to put this plan into action."

Mikey kept on talking to Mrs. Sparkling Hair as he left Leo's room.

Leo couldn't help, but shake his head with a chuckle. Hearing Mikey talk this politely sure was funny. It was so different from the words he usually used. There was no "dude" or "bro" or something like that, only polite words. It was Mikey's way of preparing himself for Madelyn's next tea party.

Leo knew that Mikey had bothered Donnie to do some research on how someone was supposed to behave at a tea party, and after agreeing on taking over Donnie's cleaning duty for one week, the purple-masked turtle had put together some Mikey-oriented information on tea parties which Mikey had been cramming for weeks now.

So whenever Madelyn's victory tea party was going to take place, Leo could be sure that Mikey would be prepared.

_The victory tea party…_ Leo sighed. He still had to tell his brothers about it. He was sure that Mikey would love the idea of having a tea party with Madelyn, April, and his brothers, and Leo knew that he could talk Donnie into joining as well, especially when he would tell him that April was going to take part. His only problem was Raph. Leo had no idea how to make sure Raph would participate in Madelyn's tea party. But he had to! Leo would have to think of a way to make sure Raph was going to be there. He didn't know how yet, but he would find a way. For Madelyn!

* * *

Leo was gearing up for this night's patrol when the door of his room was torn open and Mikey darted in. Leo just gave him a deprecating stare, and Mikey froze, grinned sheepishly and backed out of Leo's room again like he already had done that day a few times.

Then there was another knock on the door, and Leo called out, "Come in!"

Then the door was opened again and Mikey came in.

Leo smiled at his youngest brother.

"Good, Mikey," he said gently. "You're finally learning."

Mikey just laughed insecurely, but then he stepped up to Leo.

"Are you going to visit Madelyn soon?" he asked.

"I think of maybe visiting her after tonight's patrol," Leo replied.

"Good, good." Mikey nodded. "Could you then maybe take this with you?"

And with that he brought his one hand which he had been holding behind his back in front of him, and Leo realized he was holding Madelyn's doll. But Mrs. Sparkling Hair looked a bit different now. Carefully, Leo took the doll from his brother and examined it. Mrs. Sparkling Hair now was wearing some sort of a white apron over her dress, and there was a red cross painted on it. And she was wearing a nurse's headdress as well.

Leo looked at his brother with questioning eyes.

"Well, I thought Madelyn might need a nurse, now that she is sick," Mikey explained.

"How did you…?" Leo started, but was interrupted by Mikey.

"Donnie let me use some of the dressing material he is stocking in his lab to create Mrs. Sparkling Hair's new outfit," Mikey went on with his explanation. "For another week of taking over his cleaning duty," he added with a sigh.

Leo chuckled. "I guess we have to think of something that will make Donnie take over our cleaning duties for a change."

Mikey lowered his eyes and sighed again. "Yeaaaaahhhh…"

"No, I'm serious, Mikey," Leo said. "We _really_ should try to trick Donnie into taking over our cleaning duties. He was off cleaning duty for way too long now."

Mikey quickly lifted his head, mischief sparkling in his eyes. "That'd be awesome!" But then the sparkling in his eyes faded away again. "But we are talking about Donnie here. He's the smart one. Tricking him into something sure isn't easy."

"And I am the strategist, I'm sure I can think of something," Leo said with a wink.

Mikey smiled at him. "Okay. Whatever it is, you can count me in!" he assured his brother.

"Good!" Leo returned Mikey's smile. "I'll let you know as soon as I come up with something." He then went over the wall peg where his messenger bag was hanging, put Madelyn's doll in it, and then slung the bag over his shoulder.

"But for now," he said as he turned to face Mikey again, "let's get ready for our patrol."

Mikey just nodded with a smile.

* * *

That night Madelyn was lying in her bed, her eyes open as she was watching the ceiling where nothing exciting was going on, to be honest. She had slept so much over the day that she was wide awake now, although her father had tucked her in quite some time ago. She had heard him watching TV in the living room and then going to his bedroom, but the apartment was quiet for a while now, which meant her father must have fallen asleep.

Madelyn sighed. She was too awake and had no idea what to do now. Her headache was nearly gone now, so maybe she should try writing her reply to Mr. Turtle. But the moment she decided that, there was a silent knock at her window.

Carefully, Madelyn got up and looked to the window. She felt a scream of joy trying to make its way out of her mouth when she saw who was waiting outside on the fire escape, but just in time she clasped her hands against her mouth to prevent that. When she was sure she had fought back the scream for good, she went over to the window and opened it.

"Mr. Turtle!" she whispered gleefully.

"Madelyn!" Leo greeted her back, but he frowned. "Are you feeling unwell? You are so quiet."

Madelyn shook her head smilingly. "I am much, much better, Mr. Turtle," she explained. "But Daddy is worried when I am sick, so he would hear me when I am too loud."

Leo smiled at her and gently patted her head. "Bright little girl!"

Madelyn just beamed at him.

"But you are still sick," Leo said as he had finally climbed into the room and had leaned the window closed. He was too careful to shut it completely, just in case he needed to make a quick escape.

"Off to bed with you!" he said then to the little girl.

Madelyn pouted, but then climbed into her bed again. She didn't lie down, but kept sat up, shifting to the side so there was room next to her. She smiled at Leo and patted the mattress next to her. Leo just smiled back at her, as he climbed into the bed. He placed an arm around Madelyn's shoulders, and the little girl snuggled up to him.

Leo choked a sigh of relief. Sure, April had told him that Madelyn was feeling better, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he finally was relieved.

"Oh, I nearly forgot!" he said then as he opened his messenger bag with his free hand, took Mrs. Sparkling Hair out and handed the doll to Madelyn.

"Mr. Beam sends you this," he explained. "He thought you might need a nurse and Mrs. Sparkling Hair agreed to help him. So he made her this new outfit."

Madelyn carefully touched the apron. "Oh, it's beautiful!" she said. "Please tell Mr. Beam my thanks!"

"I will!" Leo assured the little girl with a warm smile. "And now try to get some sleep, okay?"

"But I'm not tired!" Madelyn replied, curling her lips.

"How about I tell you a bedtime story, then?" Leo suggested.

Madelyn nodded happily.

"Okay, in default of a bedtime story, I am going to recount my so far favorite episode of 'Unicornia', he said. "Would that be okay?"

Madelyn nodded again. "Totally okay!"

"Okay," Leo said, and Madelyn snuggled up to him even closer now and closed her eyes as she rested her head against his plastron. "It was a sunny morning and Tallulah Twinkle was having breakfast when the post-unicorn knocked at her door and brought her a letter which turned out to be an invitation to Princess Mille Grazie's birthday party."

"Oh, that's one of my favorite episodes, too," the little girl mumbled.

And as Leo continued his story, Madelyn finally was drifting off to sleep.


	28. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn makes preparations for the big victory tea party.

Madelyn was seated at one of the tables in the room of her school that was used for after school-care and writing down something on a piece of paper. The little girl had totally recovered from the flu in the last few days and was back in school the second day now.

Her friend Marcus went over to her and sat down on a chair next to her.

"What are you doing, Madelyn?" he asked, as he tried to peek at the piece of paper over Madelyn's shoulder.

"Hi, Marcus!" Madelyn greeted him and looked up to beam at him for a moment before she continued writing. "I'm writing a shopping list. April and I are going to the art supply store later today to get everything I need for my big tea party with April, Mr. Turtle, and the others. And I want to make sure I won't forget anything important."

"I see." Marcus shifted a bit uneasily on his seat. "Uhm, Madelyn, do you think I could meet Mr. Turtle as well?"

The little girl stopped writing again and looked at her friend.

"I'm sorry, Marcus, but you know, Mr. Turtle is a superhero," she said gently. "So he has to hide in the shadows, and only a few people are allowed to see him and to know what he looks like. You know, I only met him by accident. I am really, really sorry!"

"Well, if his superhero-name is 'Mr. Turtle', I guess he looks like a turtle, am I right?" Billy, the boy who had made fun of Madelyn some time ago, said as he stepped up to Madelyn and Marcus with two of his friends. "What a stupid superhero-name is that anyway? And seriously, which superhero would choose a turtle as his signature animal? Turtles are slow and stupid and ugly."

Madelyn felt the anger built in her stomach and making its way up her body in attempt to get free. She pressed her lips into a thin line and glared at Billy, trying to think of something snappy she could say in return, but then she remembered what Mr. Turtle had told her. She took a deep breath and started counting to ten in her head.

Unfortunately, Marcus didn't know anything about that method.

"He is not stupid!" the boy called out. "He is a superhero and he saved the city several times from alien invasions and monsters. Do you know another superhero who did that recently?"

"Of course not!" Billy replied. "Because there aren't any superheroes out there. Mr. Turtle is a fake – like anything Madelyn made up. She's a liar!"  
Madelyn snapped for air, but managed to fight the urge to attack Billy.

"She is not!" Marcus called out. "She is nice and kind and cute!"

Billy and his companions chuckled. "Well, why don't you marry her, then?" Billy called out. "Marcus is in love with Madelyn, Marcus is in love with Madelyn!"

Marcus' face turned red as he got angrier and angrier with every word Billy said, but when Billy and his companions started singing the "K-I-S-S-I-N-G"-song, he couldn't pull himself together any longer and jumped to his feet. He wanted to run up to Billy and punch him in the face just to make him shut up, but when he passed Madelyn, the little girl grabbed his hand and held him back.

This made Marcus snap out of his anger for a moment, and he looked at Madelyn with surprised eyes. His friend just shook her head silently, grabbed her pencil and paper, and then guided him over to the other end of the room, close to their teacher where Billy and his companions wouldn't follow them to avoid to get punished by their teacher. Mrs. Stenson, though, didn't even look up from her magazine during this whole incident.

Madelyn just sat down on the floor and resumed writing down her list. Marcus stood there for a moment, unsure what he should do, but then he sat down next to Madelyn. He crossed his arms over his chest, still looking very angry and flashing his eyes at Billy from time to time, but after some time his body relaxed again and the red on his face faded away, and Madelyn couldn't help, but smile when she saw that from the corner of her eye.

* * *

With a sigh April put two of the five bags she was carrying down on the floor to have a free hand and thus be able to get her key out of her bag. But that took longer than she had thought and so the sling of one of the other bags that she was carrying on her shoulder nearly slid off her shoulder. She caught it just in time to prevent it from sliding off completely and readjusted it with her free hand, but while doing so, she dropped her key that landed on the floor with a clank. April let out a frustrated groan as she bent down as good as she could without letting the sling from that one bag on her shoulder slide off again and she somehow managed to grab the key, and with an confident "A-ha!", she got up again – only to bump her head against the door handle. She hissed and finally got up completely.

_Not your day, April, not your day…_

She unlocked the door, opened it and put up the two bags from the floor. When she was inside safely she kicked the door closed again and dragged the bags into her room.

How on earth had Madelyn been able to pay for all of this stuff? Heck, she seemed to get even more pocket money than April did, and April was a teenager! She was supposed to need more money than a little girl!

When she had finally reached her room without dropping anything, she placed the bags from the art supply store next to her cupboard and then slumped down on her bed, not caring about the messenger bag still hanging around her shoulder.

She took a deep breath. Why was an afternoon with a super-excited Madelyn so exhausting? She had been trained as a kunoichi for quite a while now and could stand her ground in a fight for some time, at least, but a little girl who didn't even try to fight her could make her totally breathless in one afternoon? Where was the sense in that?

She moved her head a bit to look out of the window. It was still bright daylight, so maybe she could take a nap before Leo would show up. And with that thought she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

* * *

She was awakened by an all too familiar knock on her window. The teenage girl sat up and rubbed her eyes as she walked over to the window and opened it.

"Hi, Leo!" she greeted the blue-masked turtle.

"Hey there, April!" Leo greeted her back with a smirk. "Do you always sleep with your clothes on and your bag still around your shoulder?"

April looked down her body.

"Um…yeah…," she mumbled as she turned back to Leo. "It makes getting ready in the morning so much easier."

Leo just chuckled. "So I guess your afternoon with Madelyn was eventful?"

"It sure was," April said. "But I will never understand how she can get super-excited about paper napkins in three different shades of pink, not to mention the 'Unicornia'-paper plates or the glittery party hats."

Leo twisted his mouth a bit when he heard that. Pink napkins, 'Unicornia'-paper plates, glittery party hats? And he was supposed to get Raph to this tea party?! How should he manage that? Put some tranquilizer in Raph's breakfast cereals and drag him to this party?

"I tried to talk her out of it, believe me!" April assured him. "But she said she was the host and thus she had to decide what would fit this party best."

"No worries," Leo said. "We have survived an alien invasion, mutant attacks, and earthquakes, I bet we can survive a little girl's extra-pink tea party as well."

"You sure?"

"Of course!" Leo smiled at her. "I even dare to say it's going to be fun. I mean, just think of Raph with a glittery party hat on his head."

April chuckled. "I guess you're right."

She then dug into her messenger bag, retrieved Madelyn's latest letter and handed it to Leo.

"Thanks, April," the mutant turtle said and then patted April's shoulder gently before he climbed the fire escape and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Back at the lair Leo immediately went to his room, sat down on his bed and yanked Madelyn's letter open.  
 _  
_ _Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Thanks for visiting me when I was sick. It made me feel so much better. I am back at school now, and I feel totally fine. I'm just glad this flu is over. It is so boring to have to stay in bed._   
_April and I are going to the art supply store later today and I made a list of all the things I need to make our victory tea party unforgettable._   
_Marcus asked me today if he can meet you one day. I think he really wants to meet you. He even tried to defend you when Billy and his friends made fun of you. He got really, really angry when Billy said that superheroes don't exist. And when Billy called me a liar Marcus wanted to attack him, but I held him back. I remembered what you told me about staying calm and so I guided Marcus away from Billy and we stayed away from him and his friends for the rest of the afternoon. We stayed close to Mrs. Stenson, our teacher. Billy never makes fun of anyone when Mrs. Stenson is close. He doesn't want to get punished. And Mrs. Stenson thinks he is a cute and polite boy. I wish she knew how he really is. But I am okay with her wrong thinking of Billy as long he leaves Marcus and me alone._   
_Princess Mille Grazie is showing up in a lot more episodes, she becomes one of Tallulah Twinkle's best friends. I really like her name, and I like it even more than her nickname. 'Mille Grazie' sounds so much more princessy than 'Milly', don't you think?_   
_My favorite in the special was Mille Grazie. She is so nice and caring and always tries to see the good in other unicorns. Even Sweetie Smile had her doubts about this new unicorn, but Mille Grazie showed them that this unicorn was just afraid after what he had been going through and needed to learn to trust other unicorns again. And she was right. And in the end this new unicorn turned out to be the lost brother of the Princess of the Summer whom she had been looking for for years! I was so excited! And I don't want to tell you too much, but he and Mille Grazie are going to fall in love in later episodes. They are so cute together!_   
_When I was sick I watched a few more 'Space Heroes'-episodes. I liked the one when the Dauntless was wrecked and they had to make an emergency landing on this ice planet. I thought they will never be able to leave this planet again! But Captain Ryan came up with a great plan again and saved the day once more._   
_So are we going to start my training after our tea party? The tea party will take place next weekend at April's apartment. April said this would work best because her aunt is away for the weekend, but you will get all the information you need when you receive the invitation._   
_Can't wait to see you all!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo placed the letter in the drawer of his bedside table where he stocked all of Madelyn's letters. So the party was going to take place pretty soon. And he still had to tell his brothers about it. He sighed. He really needed to make a start on this. Maybe he should make his own list so he wouldn't forget anything.

The first article on this list would be 'Think of a way to get Raph to tea party', then.


	29. Trick and Be Tricked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo and Mikey have a plan to make Donnie take over their cleaning duty.

"And you really think this is going to work?" Mikey asked as he watched Leo putting a strip of yellow caution tape down on the floor next to the water basin.

"We'll see," Leo said with a shrug as he stood up again and marched over to the other end of the water basin and laid out a second line of tape on the floor next to it there as well.

"You know, if it doesn't work, this means even more cleaning duty," Mikey went on.

"What are you two up to?" a strict sounding voice asked, and the two brothers quickly turned their heads and found Splinter standing at the aisle that led to the dojo and watching them closely with furrowed brows.

"Ah…uhm…nothing," Leo replied in a stuttering voice.

Splinter just tapped his walking stick on the floor noisily, and Leo and Mikey stood up straight.

"We think that Donnie has tricked us into taking over his cleaning duty too often," Leo said quickly. "Now we want to return the favor."

"I see," Splinter said and stroked his beard. "I have realized that he managed to make you two take over his chores for quite a while now. And although I admire his ability to make others take over his chores, I think he has been able to duck out of it for too long now."

"So you don't want us to stop?" Leo asked cautiously.

"On the contrary," Splinter replied. "I am going to help you."

Leo's and Mikey's eyes widened in surprise, but when they turned to face each other, big grins appeared on their faces.

"No, Mikey, this is never going to work!" Leo called out.

He and Mikey were standing in the pit in front of the TV, close enough to Donnie's lab so that their brainiac brother would hear them.

"And I'm telling you, it is going to work!" Mikey said.

"But it's _scientifically_ impossible!" Leo put more emphasis in this one word, thus laying out the bait.

"It is _not_!"

Moments later Donnie popped his head out of his lab and peeked over to his brothers curiously.

Leo choked a chuckle. _Well, science always works for Donnie._

"What's scientifically impossible?" Donnie asked as he walked over to Leo and Mikey, and Leo had to bite down his lip to not burst into laughter. This is almost too easy.

"Well," Leo said as he turned to Donnie when he was sure he could keep a straight face, "Mikey claims he could make a standing jump from the far side of the taped line over here to the far side of the taped line over there." Leo pointed at the two stripes of yellow tape on the floor next to the water basin. "But I don't think that's possible."

"It isn't," Donnie confirmed. "Not with a standing jump."

"Ha!" Leo turned to Mikey. "I told you!"

"And I say it is possible. I know it is!"

At that moment Splinter entered the living room.

_Right on cue_ , Leo thought.

"Sensei," Mikey addressed their master. "You taught us we have to believe in ourselves, even if it seems impossible. And I am sure that I can do something Leo and Donnie say is impossible."

Splinter stopped and looked at his youngest son. "If you are so sure, Michelangelo, why don't you give it a try then? Show them that they are wrong."

"Sensei's right!" Leo said. "Prove that you can do it, Mikey!"

"Okay!"

"He, why don't we make it a bit more challenging?" Leo asked with a grin. "Since your belief into yourself seems so strong."

Mikey crossed his arms over his chest and twisted his mouth. "What do you have in mind?"

"If you fail, you are taking over Donnie's and my cleaning duty for a month. If you succeed, Donnie is taking over your and my cleaning duty for a month."

"Heh!" Donnie called out. "Why do you count me in on your little deal?"

"Because you agree with me that it is scientifically impossible, remember," Leo said with a grin. "And he's never going to make it, so it doesn't matter what our part of the deal is, right?"

Donnie furrowed his brow for a moment, but then he grinned as well. "Right!"

"Okay, deal!" Mikey said.

"Good!" Leo nodded and then nudged Donnie. "And now show him, that it's impossible, Donnie!"

"What?" Donnie asked. "Why me?"

"Because I say so! And I'm the leader!" Leo said and gave Donnie a push into the direction of the first line. "Go!"

Donnie stumbled a few steps and then walked over to the first yellow line with a sigh. He took position behind it and bended his knees a bit. And then he jumped off with as much force as he could muster. He did his best to get close to the second line, stretching his body, but it was of no use, and he landed way in front of the second line.

"See?" he said as he walked back to Leo. "It's impossible."

"Yeah, _scientifically_ impossible," Leo said and he and Donnie bro-fisted.

"Now it's my turn!" Mikey called out.

He straightened up and marched over to the first line. He bended his knees and jumped off, just like Donnie had done before, and just like Donnie's, his feet met the ground way in front of the second line. But Mikey didn't seem to care, and instead of stopping there, he jumped off again, and one more time, until he had reached the second line and jumped over it.

"Tadaaaaaaaaa!" He called out and turned to Donnie and Leo with a broad grin.

"That's cheating!" Donnie called out.

"It is _not_!" Mikey said. "I never said I have to do it in one jump!"

"But…but…" Donnie looked over to Splinter.

"Michelangelo is right," the rat mutant said. "He never said he had to do it in one jump."

Donnie's eyes widened in shock when he heard that.

Leo chuckled as he patted Donnie's shoulder. "Well, it looks like you have to take over my and Mikey's cleaning duty for one month."

Donnie's eyes widened even more for a moment, but then he narrowed his eyes.

"You tricked me!" he said angrily.

"I guess we did!" Leo confirmed as he and Mikey sealed their victory with a high three and walked out of the living room, laughing and cheering all the way.

Donnie turned to Splinter one more time, but his sensei just gave him a shrug before he turned around and left for the dojo.

Donnie watched him leave with a dumbfounded look on his face.

* * *

Later that day Leo was in his room again, and like so many times before there was a knock on his door and when he asked the visitor in, April entered.

Leo just greeted her with a smile and put his laptop aside as April sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Watching 'Unicornia' again, Leo?" she asked teasingly. "Don't overdo it! You might get nightmares!"

"Oh, I know a kunoichi who would check if there aren't any monsters under my bed, right?" he said just as teasingly.

April replied with a playful punch on his upper arm.

"Ouch!" Leo cried out and let himself fall to the side. "This kunoichi is violent!"

April chuckled and then shrugged. "Just what you need to fight under-bed-monsters, right?"

Leo sat up again, reached out his hand and tousled April's hair for a moment. "Right."

He then opened the drawer of his bedside table and took out one of the familiar green letters and handed it to April.

"Thanks," April said as she put it into her messenger back. "But I'm not sure if Madelyn would be able to write a reply before our tea party on Saturday. She is so busy to make it perfect! We started working on the decorations today, and Madelyn is writing a personal invitation to all of us right now. She even asked me what Donnie's color is. She caught it pretty soon that you all have different mask colors."

Leo smiled at April. "Yeah, she is a bright little girl."

"She sure is," April affirmed. "And she is so excited to meet you all at the tea party on Saturday."

Leo couldn't help, but wince a bit when she said 'all'.

April frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

The teenage girl just rolled her eyes. "Leo, I know you for quite a while now, I can tell when you're lying, and you are lying. So tell me what's wrong."

Leo just looked her over for a moment, then sighed.

"It's Raph," he finally said. "I have no idea how to make him come to the tea party. Mikey and Donnie are easy to persuade. To be honest, Mikey won't need any persuading at all, and Donnie maybe just a little, if any. The big problem is Raph. I've been working on this since I knew for sure about the tea party, and I haven't come up with a solution yet. At the moment, I'm hovering between putting tranquilizer into his cereals and dragging him to the tea party when he is unconscious and telling him that we found out about a couple of Foot ninja that definitely needed a beat-down. I'm preferring the first one, though. He might just crash into your aunt's apartment otherwise."

"Wouldn't he realize that something's wrong when he found out you were headed for my aunt's apartment?" April asked.

Leo shrugged. "We are talking about Raph here. He sometimes forgets everything else when it comes to hitting people. But yeah, another reason why I should go for the tranquilizer, I guess."

"You know that wouldn't work?"

Leo sighed. "I do. But just telling him he should come wouldn't work either."

"How about you appeal to his soft heart?"

"Soft heart?" Leo repeated and looked at April with widened eyes.

"Oh, come on, Leo!" April called out. "We all know he has one under all this extra-toughness he shows on the outside."

"True," Leo admitted. "But it's this extra-toughness I have to break through first."

"I bet you can do it," April said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are a strategic genius, remember? I mean you managed to trick Donnie into taking over your and Mikey's cleaning duty for a month."

Leo smirked at her. "Donnie told you, huh?"

"He did," April replied.

"Is he very mad?"

"He's furious!"

Leo's smirk deepened. "Now I just need to trick you into taking over my cleaning duty to make up for that extra-dirty kitchen I had to clean some time ago."

April just snorted. "Good luck with that!" she said as she gave his shoulder a pat and got up. "But I guess you better trick Raph into showing up at this tea party first, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right," Leo sighed.

April giggled. "I always am." She then winked at him and left his room.

* * *

At the evening of the same day Leo knocked on the door of Raph's room.

"Come in!" came the angry voice from inside, and Leo entered. Raph was sitting on his bed and reading one of his ninja magazines that he put aside now.

"What is it, Leo?" he asked.

"I…uhm…have to ask you something," Leo said.

Raph raised a brow. "Okay," he said. "Spit it out, then."

"Well, you see…uhm…Madelyn – the little girl I am exchanging letters with, you know – is organizing a big tea party for us four and April, and I really think you should come too."

"Me? At a tea party?" Raph's eyes widened. "Dream on!"

"But if you don't come, Madelyn would be really, really sad!" Leo said. "She might even cry. Just imagine her cute little face drowned in tears. It would ruin the tea party she has been planning for so long now. And it is a victory tea party, to celebrate that we saved the city from the alien worms and stopped the earthquakes. She is doing this for us, so it would be terrible to disappoint her, don't you think? It would make her so sad!"

Raph winced a little bit when Leo talked about how sad Madelyn would be. It was the tiniest wince one could think of and someone who didn't know Raph as good as Leo did wouldn't even have noticed it, but Leo knew his brother long enough to realize his plan was working.

"Poor Madelyn!" he added with a sigh, and another tiniest wince from Raph assured Leo that he had succeeded.

Raph crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay, if this really is a tea party to celebrate our victory, I am going to be there," he said.

"That's great, Raph!" Leo called out. "Thanks!"

But Raph wasn't done yet.

"If you take over my cleaning duty for a month," he added.

"What?" Leo's eyes widened in surprise.

"You heard me," Raph said and took his magazine into his hands again and continued reading it.

Leo just growled, before he said, "Okay."

"Good. See you at the tea party!" Raph said from behind his magazine.

Leo turned around left Raph's room.

"I knew I should have settled for the tranquilizer!" he mumbled as he closed the door.


	30. Tea for More than Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time for the victory tea party.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I am so glad you are feeling better now. And from what I've heard from April you are doing even better than that. She told me that you did nearly all the planning for our tea party by yourself, and this is a lot of work. You are an awesome little girl! And you are going to be the best victory tea party host one can think of on the weekend. I am sure about that._   
_Madelyn, you have no idea how proud I am right now. You didn't only follow my advice and didn't Billy let provoke you, no, you even managed to stop Marcus from attacking Billy. And I know how hard this must have been. But it tells me something really, really important, namely, that you really can concentrate now, no matter what. This is important for our training. So nothing prevents us from starting with your training after our tea party. I hope I am going to be a good teacher, though._   
_Well, if Billy pretends to be a nice boy, but isn't, I bet it is going to show one day, and Mrs. Stenson is going to find out how he really is. Believe me. Fakes always come to light._   
_You are right, 'Mille Grazie' sounds a lot more princess-like than 'Milly', but I like 'Milly' nonetheless. It sounds cute._   
_So there is a love story coming up? Neat!_   
_Yes, the ice planet-episode is super exciting. I was so worried they would never be able to get the Dauntless back into the air again, but they did. I am a big fan of this spaceship. It was terrible to see her destroyed and grounded. But luckily, Captain Ryan with the help of this awesome alien engineer could repair her. I really liked this engineer and hoped she would show up in later episodes as well, but unfortunately, she didn't. But I guess this is what fanfiction is for._   
_I talked to Mr. Red about our tea party already – still need to talk to Mr. Beam and my other brother – and he can't wait for it either. And April is excited for it as well. This is going to be one awesome victory tea party._   
_By the way, I can't wait to get my invitation. April told me that you made one personal invitation for each of us. I bet they look beautiful._   
_I can't wait to see you on the weekend, Madelyn! This is going to be so much fun!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

Madelyn put the letter aside and got up from her bed. She walked over to her little desk and knelt down next to her school bag. She opened it and took five envelopes out. Four of them were green, one was decorated with a blue ribbon, one with a red one, the third one with an orange, and the fourth with a purple one. The fifth envelope was yellow and had a white ribbon as a decoration.

Madelyn examined each of the envelopes closely, checking if something looked odd, but the envelopes looked awesome. With a warm smile Madelyn put the envelopes back into her school bag.

The invitations were written, the decorations were finished, April was going to pick her up tomorrow to spend the weekend at her place and to set everything up for the tea party, and the tea party was going to take place the day after tomorrow. So everything was settled. And with that thought Madelyn climbed back into her bed, gave Daisy a good night-kiss and turned the reading lamp on her bedside table off.

* * *

The next day April arrived at the lair and found the brothers gathered in the kitchen.

"Hey, everyone!" she greeted them and earned a lazy wave from Raph, a cheerful "Hello!" from Mikey, a smiling nod from Leo, and a insecurely giggled "Hi April!" from Donnie in return.

"As you all know," April said to her mutant friends with a smile, "there is a big tea party coming up tomorrow."

"There is?" Mikey asked confused, but then grinned broadly. "Yay!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Mikey, I told you about this yesterday."

"You did?"

"Yes, and you were super-excited and said you couldn't wait!"

"Oh, yeah, maybe," Mikey said and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. But then he smiled again and turned to Leo.

"You know what the good thing about forgetting things is?"

"No." Leo raised a brow.

"You can get excited about the one same thing twice!" Mikey explained with a grin.

Leo just rolled his eyes again.

Right after he had talked to Raph, Leo had talked to Mikey, and as expected, Mikey had loved the idea of having a victory tea party.

But when Leo had talked to Donnie he hadn't thought his brother would be that mad about tricking him into taking over Mikey's and Leo's cleaning duty. Even Leo's trump card – that April was going to be there, too, and thus Donnie could spend some time with her – hadn't worked, so in the end. Leo had had to agree to take over Donnie's cleaning duty for a month, and given the fact that Donnie already had taken over Leo's cleaning duty, had made them agree that Donnie wouldn't take over Leo's cleaning duty and thus they were even. So in the end, Leo was back on his own cleaning duty, plus Raph's cleaning duty for a month now. This whole cleaning duty-plan hadn't worked out as hoped, he had to admit.

Tricking Donnie had been fun after all, though, and it recompensed Leo for not being out of cleaning duty after all, at least a little.

Leo choked a sigh and turned to April again.

The teenage girl was rummaging around in her messenger bag and then took out four green envelopes, each decorated with a ribbon, and handed the four brothers each the envelope with the ribbon color matching their masks.

Leo took his with a smile and looked down on the envelope. It had "To Mr. Turtle" written on it.

When Mikey got his he truly lived up to his nickname and beamed at it.

Raph on the other hand just took his invitation and tucked it away under his belt as if he wasn't interested at all. This made Leo frown a bit, but he knew that Raph would show up at the tea party. Maybe he wouldn't make the happiest face in the world, but he would be there, Leo was sure about that.

Speaking of frowns, when Donnie looked at his invitation he frowned at it so deeply, Leo was afraid Donnie might have changed his mind about the tea party, but then Donnie looked up to his brothers with a questioning look in his eyes.

" _Dr._ Donnie?" the purple-masked turtle asked. "When did I do my doctorate?"

"That's Madelyn's nickname for you!" Mikey explained. "You know, for a brainiac, you sometimes are real slow on the uptake."

"And how come Donnie has the least dorkiest nickname around here?" Raph said angrily before he stomped out of the kitchen, mumbling something that sounded like, "And I am Mr. Red. That's unfair!"

His brothers and April watched him leave.

"Well, at least he seems to have accepted that it is 'Mr. Red' for him," Leo said with a chuckle.

* * *

On Saturday evening April was standing in the living room of her aunt's apartment, checking on the decorations one more time. There was the big pink banner on the wall that said "VICTORY TEA PARTY" in glittery letters, there was the kitchen table they had moved from the kitchen into the living room and put a pink tablecloth on it, there were the six chairs, each decorated with glittery streamers, there were the Unicornia-plastic plates and plastic cups on the desk and the two teapots, one filled with apple tea and one with green tea. And they had a chocolate cake as well. All in all, everything was prepared for the tea party.

April heard a door open and turned around to find Madelyn entering the living room. The little girl had been in April's room to change her clothes and was wearing a neat pink dress and a matching pink headband now.

April looked her over with a smile. "Madelyn, you look beautiful!"

"Really?" Madelyn asked cautiously, plucking at her dress.

"Really!" April assured her.

"Okay." Madelyn lowered her eyes.

April watched this with a frown. She then went over to the little girl, knelt down to be on the same level with her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

Madelyn took a deep breath. "What if Mr. Turtle's brothers think I'm stupid?"

"Why would they think that?"

"I don't know." Madelyn shrugged.

"You know Mr. Beam already, and he really, really likes you. And I bet Mr. Red and Dr. Donnie would like you just as much."

Madelyn raised her eyes and looked at April with a questioning look in her eyes. "Are you sure?"

April smiled at her. "I am sure!"

Madelyn gave a determined nod. "Okay!"

April's smile deepened, but then her Tphone beeped to let her know she had received a message. She gave Madelyn's shoulder a quick gentle pat and then got up, putting out her Tphone from her pocket and checked the message.

Her smile turned into a grin as she read it, then she walked over to the window of the living room and opened it.

She winked at Madelyn who watched her curiously as she stepped aside, and moments later four ninja turtles jumped inside through the open window, accompanied by Mikey's infamous "Booyakasha!"-battle cry.

When they were done with their cool entrance, Madelyn was jumping up and down and clapping eagerly. April on the other hand blew a raspberry and hissed "Show-offs!" with a smirk.

"Beg your pardon," Mikey said as he raised his head, looking a bit snooty, "we are _cool_ show-offs!"

April just giggled in return, the snooty looked faded from Mikey's face and then he winked at her with a smile.

"Mr. Turtle!" Madelyn called out and ran over to her favorite turtle, flinging her arms around him.

"Hello, Madelyn!" Leo greeted her with a smile and patted her head.

The little girl then let go of him and went over to Mikey.

"Mr. Beam!"

"Madelyn!" Mikey called out, picked her up and twirled her around until he put a happily giggling Madelyn back on the floor.

"And you are Dr. Donnie, right?" Madelyn asked when she set eyes on the purple-masked turtle.

"I guess I am," Donnie replied cautiously.

Madelyn beamed at him and held out her hand, and Donnie shook it with a smile.

"Still the least dorkiest nickname," Raph mumbled with a snort.

He was sure he said that quietly enough that Madelyn couldn't have heard him, but the little girl immediately turned around and walked over to Raph, a deep frown on her face.

"Don't you like your nickname, Mr. Red?" she asked with big, sad eyes.

Raph looked at her and winced a bit. It was one of these nearly invisible winces, no-one except for those who really knew Raph would have realized. And Leo was one of the latter and choked a chuckle.

"No…I mean yes…I mean I like my nickname," Raph stammered quickly, but Madelyn still looked like she could burst into tears any moment. "I mean I love my nickname," Raph added quickly. "I absolutely love it. Red is great!"

Madelyn eyed him up, still frowning, but then she smiled at him, and in the next moment she had flung her arms around Raph's shell as far as she could reach.  
Raph's eyes widened in surprise. He had absolutely no idea what to do now, so he cautiously patted Madelyn's head.

The little girl then let go of him and looked at her friends.

"Can we start our tea party now?" Madelyn asked.

"Well, of course, Miss Madelyn!" Mikey said in his polite voice, strode over to Madelyn and offered her his arm. "May I escort you to your seat, Miss Madelyn?"

"You may!" Madelyn replied with a giggle as she linked arms with him, and Mikey guided her to the table and pulled out a chair for her.

The others went over to the table as well, only Raph didn't make a move, but when Leo passed him, he grabbed his brother by the shoulder and dragged him along. Raph struggled a bit, but followed nonetheless, when Leo mumbled "Cleaning duty!" into his ear.

* * *

Later, they were seated at the table, drinking tea and having fun. They all had glittery party hats on their heads, and while Mikey and Madelyn simply loved their party hats, Leo, Donnie, and April seemed to ignore the fact that they had something glittery on their heads, only Raph looked totally miserable, because Mikey didn't miss a chance to remind him of the glittery party hat he was wearing. He kept poking at Raph's hat or nudged his brother and told him how awesome he looked.

Raph really had to pull himself together to keep himself from hitting Mikey, but as far as Leo could tell, Raph was doing an awesome job.

Leo smiled to himself as he looked around the table. He had been afraid this tea party could go wrong, but his brothers really looked like they were having fun – even Raph, if someone could look behind his grumpy face which Leo could. He knew his younger brother was just trying to keep his cool.

So all in all this tea party was a success, Leo thought as he took another sip of his green tea.


	31. After the Tea Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the tea party, Mikey thinks about what it would be like if Madelyn could live with them. And April puts a plan into action.

The four ninja turtles were wandering through the sewers' tunnels on their way back from Madelyn's tea party. They were all in a pretty good mood, although Raph tried his best to get that grumpy look on his face right. He failed sometimes, only for a few moments, though, but it had been enough for Leo to realize.

Donnie was pretty silent, but wearing a little smile on his face. Madelyn sure had managed to win his heart over when she had asked him to explain several things to her, like how tea ended up in tea bags or why tea stayed warm longer in porcelain cups than in plastic ones. And he had enjoyed the fact that he had been able to secretly watch April when she had interacted with Madelyn and thus was distracted. Though it wasn't sure that she hadn't realized nonetheless. April was a kunoichi with psychic powers, but if she really had realized anything, she had carried it off well.

Mikey on the other hand made no secret of his euphoria. He was skipping about, humming a random melody and telling no-one in particular every now and then how much fun he had had. He was still wearing his party hat and carrying the other three. Madelyn had given them to them as gifts, but when they had been back on the rooftops Donnie and especially Raph hadn't been slow off the mark to take theirs off. Afraid that they might throw their hats away, Mikey had taken them from the two, and then he had looked at Leo and his oldest brothers had just given his party hat to him.

Leo nearly had forgotten that he had been wearing a glittery party hat which would have been quite funny if they had run into some Foot ninjas or Purple Dragons that night which luckily hadn't happened. But imaging himself fighting an enemy with a glittery party hat on his head cheered Leo up a bit. He still was a little sad that they had had to leave, but April had insisted that Madelyn got to bed at the time Mr. Dearing had told her. Sure, she didn't want to risk her babysitting job, but still. Couldn't she have made an exception for their victory tea party? He choked a sigh.

At that moment they had arrived back at the lair and entered through the turnstiles.

Mikey skipped over to the pit.

"This. Was. So. Much. Fun!" He called out, gleefully pumping his fists in the air.

"And it is over now," Raph added. "Thank goodness!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaawwwwww…." Mikey turned around and looked at his brother with a smirk. "Still trying to keep your cool, Raph, huh?" He walked over to him and poked his brother's chest. "But I know you had fun! You truly had!"

He kept poking Raph's chest, even when the older turtle twisted his mouth. But when Mikey tried to clap a party hat on Raph, this was the final straw. With a quick movement Raph grabbed Mikey's arm and flipped him over his shoulder, sending his younger brother to the ground.

"Ooooohhhhh," Mikey groaned, "I forgot you won't control your temper any longer now that Madelyn isn't around."

Raph answered with a shrug. "You are just being too forgetful lately." And with that he left for his room, but not without treading over Mikey's plastron before he did so, earning an "Oooof!" from his brother when the air was pressed out of his lungs.

"Mental note: Only tease Raph when Madelyn is around," Mikey said in a breathy voice as he picked himself up. "Leo, can we ask Madelyn to live with us?"

Raph had just entered the aisle that led to their bedrooms when he heard that. And he could virtually see how Leo rolled his eyes. And when he heard his older brother sigh, Raph couldn't help, but chuckle.

* * *

At the same time April was tucking Madelyn in. The little girl was lying in her bed, but she seemed too excited to fall asleep anytime soon.

"April, that was so awesome!" she burst out. "Can we do that again? Please, please, pretty please?"

"Maybe," April said with a smile. "But only if you calm down now. If you get too excited over tea parties and can't fall asleep afterwards, I bet your father would never allow you to stay overnight at my place again."

"Oh." Madelyn pulled the blanket up to her nose. "I'm quiet now," she said, her voice muffled by the blanket.

April chuckled, then bent forward and placed a kiss on Madelyn's forehead. "Good night, Madelyn!"

"Good night, April!" the little girl replied.

April got up and went over to the door of her room. She was going to sleep on the couch tonight. But before she left the room, she turned to Madelyn again.

"Try to get some sleep, young lady!" she said admonishingly, but then she winked at Madelyn with a smile to show her that she didn't mean it.

Madelyn giggled and then nodded eagerly, and with that April left the room.

When April was gone Madelyn turned her head and looked out of the window. She let the events of that evening pass before her mind's eye.

And sooner than she had thought she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and fell asleep.

* * *

Back in the living room April sat down on the couch, took her laptop from the coffee table and placed it on her lap. There was something she had to take care of. She opened the message board she had sat up a while ago to collect unusual sightings around New York. She had thought about this for a while now, and tonight's victory tea party had reminded her that she should finally put her plan into action.

She knew there had been a discussion going on about the alien invasion and about the recent events like the earthquakes. She had never replied to those, too afraid she would put her friends at risk. But she was really good with computers and spending so much time with Donnie had even improved her computer skills. She knew how to cover her digital tracks.

Then she opened a new thread. She thought a moment about what to entitle it, then she typed "Some Answers to Some Questions" into the headline.

She took a deep breath to muster the strength to venture taking the next step, then she opened her eyes again, and with a determined nod she started writing.  
 _  
_ _Some of you have kept wondering about the strange things that have been going on in New York City. Thanks to lucky circumstances I know a few things more about this all. And after a while of keeping my mouth shut, I think it is about time I share some of my knowledge with you. Let's begin with the alien invasion from a while ago. People wondered what made the aliens disappear so quickly again. Let me tell you, they didn't just change their mind and left Earth to conquer another planet instead. They had been stopped by some amazing heroes who didn't hesitate to risk their own lives, although they knew they would never get any credit for that. We have these heroes to thank for. And I am sick of having to keep this to myself. I can go too much into detail here, but believe me, it was them who stopped the aliens._

_As for those creepy creatures that keep roaming New York, let me tell you this…_

Her fingers were practically flying over the keyboard as she kept tapping away, a small, happy smile on her face.

* * *

"Just think about it, Leo," Mikey said in a pleading voice. He and Leo were in the kitchen, Leo was watching his younger brother prepare breakfast. After the disaster from last time he had tried to prepare breakfast, Leo had sworn to himself he would never try to do that again.

"Raph would have to pull himself together, and Donnie would have someone he could explain anything to, and you would have someone to talk to, and I would have someone else to play with. In other words, it would be super-awesome if Madelyn could live with us," Mikey continued. He grinned broadly at Leo.

"It sure would be awesome," Leo admitted, "but you know it is never going to happen."

"I know." Mikey lowered his eyes with a sigh. "But I can still think about it, right?"

"Sure!" Leo said with a smile.

The moment he said that, the broad grin was back on Mikey's face. "Awesome!" He got the waffle maker out of the kitchen unit.

"Well, just imagine," he started. "Raph would be after me because I somehow threw a water balloon at him, and I just needed to call for Madelyn, and the moment she showed up, Raph had to stop trying to hit me and go into super-friendly-Madelyn-mode."

Leo just chuckled in response.

* * *

On Monday Madelyn was sitting at a table and writing her reply to Mr. Turtle's latest letter.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_I enjoyed our victory tea party so, so much! It was a great, awesome, exciting evening! And I really, really hope we can do that again soon. Well, it won't be a victory tea party then, just a normal tea party without the party hats and the banner, but I think it will still be awesome, don't you think? I really enjoyed talking to your brothers. At first, I was a bit afraid of Mr. Red, and I thought he was mad at me because of his nickname, but then he said he loved his nickname, and that was when I realized he was a nice turtle. And Mr. Beam is so funny! I really like his jokes and playing with him. And Dr. Donnie is so clever. He could answer all my questions! I really liked that._   
_And it was so great to see you again, Mr. Turtle! And I hope we will meet again soon and can talk a bit. We didn't have much time for that at the victory tea party. I had to talk to the other guests as well. It's one of the duties of a host. Was I a good host, Mr. Turtle?_   
_And I can't wait when we start our training. When do you think this will be? Should we meet at April's? I am so excited!_   
_Yes, there is a love story coming up in 'Unicornia', and it is such a beautiful story! You are going to love it! And I agree with you, 'Milly' sounds cute. But if I ever meet the princess in person, I think I have to call her 'Princess Mille Grazie' first until she offers me to call her 'Milly'. I think this is what you have to do when you meet a royal. You have to address them properly._   
_So the alien engineer doesn't show up again? That's a pity. I really liked her, too. But what's fanfiction, Mr. Turtle?_   
_I hope you're right about Billy. He didn't say anything mean recently, but I think he will sooner or later. And maybe next time, Mrs. Stenson is close enough to hear and she will realize how Billy really is. I really hope she will understand one day that Billy is just a bully and nothing else._   
_I want to draw another picture for you. What do you think of Captain Ryan and the alien engineer together? By the way, do you know what the alien engineer's name is? It isn't mentioned in the show._   
_I hope to see you soon!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

When Madelyn was done with her letter, she reread it and then put it into her schoolbag, but when she sat up again, she found Marcus sitting next to her, looking at her expectantly.

"Hello, Madelyn!" he greeted her.

"Hi, Marcus!" she greeted him back with a smile.

He was shifting a bit on his seat, eager to say something, and Madelyn raised a brow at this.

"Soooooooo," he finally drawled. "How was the big victory tea party? Did they all show up?"

A big grin appeared on Madelyn's face.

"They did!" she said happily. "And it was awesome! There was Mr. Turtle, and Mr. Red, and Mr. Beam, and Dr. Donnie, and April, and we were drinking apple tea and green tea and eating cake. And Mr. Beam made so funny jokes! And Dr. Donnie explained a lot of things to me. Do you know how tea ends up in tea bags? Or why tea keeps warm longer in porcelain cups?"

Marcus shook his head, a confused look on his face.

"Well, it is like this," Madelyn started her detailed explanation in which she seemed to forget some important parts, because the confused look on Marcus' face grew deeper and deeper. But nonetheless, the little boy listened to his friend with a smile.


	32. Causing Trouble Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy gives Madelyn a hard time again.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Yes, I enjoyed our victory tea party as well. It was awesome! And of course we can have some more tea parties. Just normal tea parties, you know. Unless my brothers and I save the city again. Or the planet. Then it would be time for another victory tea party, of course._   
_Don't you worry about Mr. Red. He can be a bit grumpy at times, but deep inside he has a soft heart._   
_And I'd even say Mr. Beam is the funniest turtle around. I think he is as good in cheering up people as Ruffles McBearington. By the way, Mr. Beam asked if he could play with Mrs. Sparkling Hair again, when she and I were back from visiting you when you were sick. And I allowed him. I hope that's okay. He is so sweet to Mrs. Sparkling Hair. He even wants to make her a new outfit. What do you think?_   
_And you are right. Dr. Donnie is very clever. He is the smartest of us four. And I know he really enjoyed explaining things to you. So next time you meet him and have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, okay?_   
_I hope we can start our training next time you are at April's. It would be a lot easier that way. I am going to talk to her later about this._   
_I see. So there's love in the air, right? I hope to catch up on the episodes this week. I don't know much about royalty, but I think you're right. You have to address royals properly._   
_Yes, the alien engineer is awesome. Fanfiction is something really great. It's stories written by fans about their favorite show. There are so many great 'Space Heroes'-fanfictions out there. And I bet there is a lot for 'Unicornia' as well. If you want, I can have a look around if I find something interesting about 'Unicornia'._   
_There have been a lot of discussions about the alien engineer's name. You are right, it hasn't been mentioned in the show, but one of the 'Space Heroes'-producers said in an interview that he had planned to name her Astra Hovaria. It is the most reliable source on her name, so it has caught on within in the fandom. Most fans call her by that name._   
_You probably don't know what a fandom is. (I'm just assuming that because you didn't know what fanfiction is.) A fandom is the entirety of all the fans of a show. So you and I are both part of the 'Unicornia'- and the 'Space Heroes'-fandom because we like these shows._   
_A picture of Captain Ryan and Astra Hovaria would be awesome. You know how much I love your pictures. I can't wait for this one!_   
_Believe me, Madelyn, Mrs. Stenson is going to find out about Billy one day. It is hard to keep up a disguise if it isn't your true self. And if Billy isn't nice in reality, it is going to show one day. Only very clever people can keep something like this up forever, and to be honest, from what you have told me so far, Billy doesn't sound very clever._   
_I hope to see you soon, Madelyn!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

Leo put the letter away. He would give it to April tomorrow. But now he had to check something.

With a smile he took his laptop and started searching for "Unicornia"-fanfictions. He wanted to be prepared if Madelyn asked for some stories. And he was pretty sure she would ask sooner or later.

* * *

When April arrived at the lair the next the day, she automatically wanted to take the path to Leo's room when she couldn't find him in the living room, but before she could cross the living room, Donnie called over to her from his lab.

"April, could you come over here for a moment?"

April frowned. It was unusual for Donnie to not greet her, but then did as she was told.

In Donnie's lab the purple-masked turtle guided her over to his laptop.

"Well, I was surfing the internet a bit, and then I found this," he said and showed her the screen.

April gasped as she realized it was the "Some Answers to Some Questions"-post she had written in her message board about the unusual sightings around New York.

"Oh, _that_!" she said with an insecure laugh.

"What were you thinking?" Donnie asked, his voice sounding a bit angry. "Do you know how dangerous that is? The Kraang have just lost track of you, and now you tell the world about what you know? I never thought I would have to say that about you, but that was stupid!"

"It was not!" April said and twisted her mouth. "It's my way of thanking you for saving the city, the planet, me. I am sick that you'd never get credit for that!"

"That's noble from you, but still very, very stupid!" Donnie said. "What if someone finds you now? Or us?"

"No-one would!" April replied. "I know how to cover my digital tracks. No-one will ever be able to track this post back, believe me. And I didn't give away too many details. I don't say anything about where you live or that you are four or about you being mutants. All I do is tell the world that you are heroes! Please, Donnie, allow me to say my thanks to you all by doing this!"

Donnie watched her closely for a moment, his whole body tensed, but when he looked into April's begging eyes, his body relaxed and he let out a sigh.

"Okay," he gave in. "As long as it doesn't get out of hand, I won't tell the others. But be careful, okay?"

And before he even knew what was happening, April had flung her arms around his neck with a happy laugh. "Thanks, Donnie!"

And as quickly as she had hugged him, April let go of him again. Donnie hadn't even had a chance to hug her back.

April was already leaving his lab on her way to see Leo. But at the door she turned to Donnie again and waved at him with a smile.

Donnie waved back stiffly, a blank look on his face, but as soon as April was out of his lab, Donnie jumped into the air, a happy "Yes!" escaping his mouth. He then sunk into his desk chair, a broad grin plastered to his face.

"So awesome!" he mumbled.

* * *

The next day Madelyn was sitting in the reading corner of the after school care-room again. She had Mr. Turtle's latest letter in her hands, and while reading, a smile appeared on her face.

When finished, she got up and went over to one of the desks.

This whole "fandom"-thing sounded so exciting. Hopefully, there were some great "Unicornia"-stories out there. Maybe she could talk April into reading them to her when Mr. Turtle looked some awesome stories up for her. Or maybe… no, she had to suggest that first to Mr. Turtle.

Still smiling, she put the letter into her school bag and retrieved a piece of paper and her pencil case. She closed her eyes for a moment to remember what the alien engineer, no, Astra Hovaria, looked like and then started drawing.

She was nearly done with her picture when she realized someone was standing next to her. Expecting that it was Marcus, she looked up – only to look down at her picture very quickly again when she found Billy standing next to her, his two friends standing close by. She had completely forgotten that Marcus wasn't in the after-school care club today.

"Well, well," Billy said in a mocking voice, "what are you up to, Madelyn?"

The little girl did her best to ignore Billy and concentrate on drawing, but it was really hard when Billy moved even closer and looked over her shoulder.

"Ugh," he made. "Isn't that that stupid captain from that stupid show? Captain Brian?"

"Captain Ryan," Madelyn corrected him without looking up from her picture.

"Nah, I call him 'Captain Stupid Face' anyway," Billy said, which made Madelyn take a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. She closed her eyes just for a second, but Billy took advantage of that and snatched the paper away from her.

"Heh, guys, look!" he told his friends and showed them the picture. "Look what an awful drawer Madelyn is!"

His two friends laughed at Madelyn's picture, and the little girl looked around, seeking for help. She found Mrs. Stenson at the back of the room, delved into reading a book. She couldn't expect any help from there, Madelyn realized. If she ran over to Mrs. Stenson and asked her for help, Billy could do you-know-what to her picture. So she turned back to the bully.

"Give that back, Billy," she said calmly.

"Why?" the boy asked. "So that you can make it even more uglier. Believe me, Madelyn, I'm doing you a favor by keeping you from finishing this ugly pic. The others might make fun of you when it's finished."

His two friends laughed when they heard that.

"Billy, give it back," she said again. "It's a gift for Mr. Turtle."

"Oh, your non-existent super-hero with that super-stupid name?"

"Billy, please," Madelyn said with a rigorous ring to her voice.

"Now what is your stupid Mr. Turtle gonna do, if I do this?" Billy asked in a mocking voice, and then he took the picture in both of his hands and tore it apart.

It was the moment Madelyn's eyes widened in pure shock, and from that all she could see was red.

* * *

"Mr. Dearing, this truly is no way a young child should behave!" Mrs. Stenson said reproachfully when Mr. Dearing entered the room. "Not only did she attack Billy out of no reason and bit him and pushed him over so that he now has bruises on his knees, no, she even tore apart her own picture so that she could accuse Billy of doing so to make her attack seem a little more comprehensible. Aggressive and lying, that simply is too much, Mr. Dearing! I need to inform the principal."

"I see," Mr. Dearing replied. "Do as you please, Mrs. Stenson. And if you don't mind, I want to see my daughter." And with that he just walked past her.

Mrs. Stenson gasped for air and mumbled a comment about how she had an idea why Madelyn had no manners, but Mr. Dearing couldn't care less.  
He found his daughter squatting in the reading corner, her little face red from anger and crying, and when he moved closer, he saw she clenched torn pieces of paper to her chest. He choked a sigh. He quickly took her school bag, went over to her and knelt down.

"Hi, Madelyn," he said calmly. "Shall we go home?"

Madelyn just nodded, and with that he picked her up. She flung her little arms around his neck and buried her face on his chest. Mr. Dearing just patted her back for a moment before he left the room, ignoring whatever comment Mrs. Stenson uttered this time.

* * *

Leo was in his room, trying to find some more interesting "Unicornia"-fanfictions for Madelyn when April barged in. Leo thought for a moment about asking her if she had ever heard of knocking, but it was so unusual for April to forget about something like that and the teenage girl had such a concerned look on her face, he immediately dropped that idea.

He frowned at her. "April, what's wrong?"

"It's Madelyn," she replied which made Leo tense up. "Mr. Dearing called me when I was helping Donnie in his lab, and it looks like this bully gave her a hard time again."

Leo lowered his eyes for a moment with a sigh.

"Madelyn told him that she really tried to stay calm, but he was so annoying and made fun of her picture, and when he tore it apart she lost her temper and attacked him," April explained. "I have no idea what to do! Her teacher even threatened to inform the principal."

"About this bully?" Leo asked. "Now, that's good, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!" April burst out. "Because this bully told the teacher a totally different story, namely, that Madelyn attacked him with no reason and that she is lying about the picture because she tore it apart herself so that she has an explanation why she attacked him."

Leo raised a brow. "That's stupid!"

"I know that! And Mr. Dearing knows that, too! The only one who doesn't know that is this stupid teacher. She believes Billy. God knows why she is so dotty about that bully!"

April let out a deep breath. "We gotta do something!"

"April, I don't think there is anything we can do," Leo said. "Sadly."

With another sigh April let herself slump down on Leo's bed. "There has to be!"

Leo reached over to her and patted her shoulder gently. He knew she was right. They should do something. But he couldn't think of anything. But then he saw Madelyn's pictures on his wall, and one picture in particular caught his eye.

"I think I have an idea," he said then, and the look on April's face brightened up a bit. "But I might need your help."

"Anytime!"

"Without cleaning duty?"

April blew a raspberry. "Sure!"

"Good," Leo said with a warm smile as he got up and walked over to Madelyn's pictures. "Then we better get started."


	33. Teaching a Bully a Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo - with the help of his brothers - puts his plan of teaching Billy a lesson into action.

"And you don't have any more information?" Donnie asked.

They were all gathered in Donnie's lab, Donnie sitting at his work desk, April and Leo standing in front of him and Raph standing behind him, a grumpy look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest as usual, while Mikey was in the back of the lab, being busy with some fabrics.

April shook her head. "Only that his name is Billy and that he is in Madelyn's after-school care club."

"Okay, so we got the name of Madelyn's school, the name of one of the teachers, Madelyn's name and know that this bully's first name is Billy," Donnie summarized.

April answered with a nod.

"So can you do it or not?" Leo asked.

Donnie smirked at his oldest brother.

"Well, I guess so," he said, "if you take over my clean…ouch!"

Donnie threw an angry glance at Raph and rubbed the back of his head where he had hit him, but Raph already had his arms crossed over his chest again.

Donnie narrowed his eyes to slits for a moment before he turned back to Leo.

"Of course I can do it!" he said.

"Thanks, Donnie!" Leo said.

"Yes, thank you, Donnie!" April gave him a warm smile which made Donnie blush and laugh insecurely, before he regained his composure again. With an extra-serious look on his face he cracked his knuckles and then started tapping away on his laptop.

Leo and April smiled at each other for a moment before Leo looked over to Mikey.

"How are you doing, Mikey?"

"I'd do better with a sewing pattern," he replied as he tried to arrange the fabrics. "But I think I'm getting somewhere."

"Good." Leo smiled at his brother encouragingly, but he was too busy to actually see it.

That moment April's Tphone started ringing.

"That's Mr. Dearing," she said as she checked the display and answered the call. "Hello, Mr. Dearing!" She then was listening to Mr. Dearing, nodding slightly. "Okay, I'll be on my way," she finally said and hung up.

"Guys, I gotta go," she told the others. "Mr. Dearing asked me if I could come over and talk to Madelyn."

"Bye, April!" Mikey called out and waved at her happily, but when Raph shot him a warning glance he immediately picked up his work again. Raph just waved at April lazily.

A mumbled "Bye, April!" was all she got from Donnie. The purple-masked turtle was already too caught up in his work, so anything else around him didn't matter any longer. April knew that all too well and just smiled at him although she knew he couldn't see it.

"I'll see you out," Leo said and followed her when she left the lab.

When they were at the turnstiles Leo turned to April.

"Send Madelyn my regards," he said. "And tell her that I am sorry for what has happened to her." He frowned at her. "Do you think she's going to be okay?"

April let out a sigh. "I sure hope so. But bullying is something you shouldn't be casual about."

But when she saw that Leo's frown deepened, she added quickly, "But she is a strong little girl. And she has some awesome friends. So, yes, I think she's going to be okay."

"I hope you're right, April."

"Well, Leo, you should have found out by now," April said with a smirk, "I'm _always_ right."  
A little smile appeared on Leo's face.

Seeing Leo smile cheered her up a bit as well. April gave Leo's shoulder a quick pat and left.

* * *

On her way to Madelyn April thought about this whole bullying-situation. As someone who had been bullied she knew how hard it was. Some of the children in her school had picked on her – when she had been younger because of her "un-girly" interest in science, then because of her looks – glasses and braces never made a good combo when it came to bullies – and after her father had disappeared, she had been addressed as some sort of a problem child. And maybe she had even contributed to that by shutting herself off from her schoolmates. After all she had had more important things to deal with back then – a father that had been kidnapped by aliens, said aliens being after her, and not to mention a ninja clan with a top-kunoichi that had some personal vendetta with her friends and herself.

_Her friends…_ If there was one thing April knew for sure it was that she wouldn't have been able to deal with all this without her friends, her new family. And Splinter's training had helped a lot to ignore these bullies, to let their insults wash over her like a river over stone, like Splinter would put it.

And now that she had allowed Irma back into her life and had made friends with Casey, things were going pretty well in her life – apart from permanent threats of mutants, aliens, and ninjas. But if someone could deal with all that, it was her new family, April was sure about that.

But then April's thoughts drifted back to Madelyn, and she felt really sorry for the little darling. All she could do now to make her feel better was let her know that she was there for her, that she understood her, that she had friends. And that was what she was going to do.

* * *

"So, how's Madelyn doing?" April asked after Mr. Dearing had asked her to come in.

"I am not sure," Mr. Dearing replied. "She's in her room and doesn't want to come out or let me in. That's why I called you. I thought, maybe talking to you might help her."

April nodded. "Let me try something."

And with that she walked over to Madelyn's door.

* * *

Madelyn was cowering near her bed, her forehead resting on her knees, when she heard a silent knock at her door. She didn't move. It could only be her father, and she had told him several times that she wanted to be alone.

But then the door opened, and someone came inside, and from the sound of the footsteps Madelyn realized it couldn't be her father. The footsteps were too silent, too smooth.

Madelyn lifted her head only for a second, but when she saw April she buried her face again.

"Go away!" she said. "I want to be alone."

"I don't think so," April said as she sat down on the floor next to Madelyn. "I think you don't want to talk. That's something different. I think that deep down inside you'd be happy about company, so I am just going to sit here. I'm not going to say anything unless you change your mind and want to talk to me, okay?"

Madelyn just shrugged.

April just sat there for some time, like she had promised, letting her eyes wander over Madelyn's tensed little body. She realized the little girl was holding torn pieces of paper in her clenched fists, and she immediately knew that this must be the pieces of the picture she had drawn for Leo.  
April choked a sigh. And she really had to fight the urge to simply clasp Madelyn in her arms and hug her until everything was okay again. But she had to wait for Madelyn to make the first move, April knew that, so she just waited.

She had no idea how long they had been sitting in silence, but finally, Madelyn spoke up.

"Now Mr. Turtle is never going to train me," she mumbled.

April raised a brow. "What makes you think that?"

Madelyn lifted her head and looked at April. "He said I needed to learn to ignore Billy. And I couldn't ignore him today. I got angry and attacked him."

"Mr. Turtle knows what has happened and what Billy has done. Believe me, he isn't angry at you. On the contrary, he is really worried about what has happened to you and that you are sad now. He would be here to comfort you if he could. And he never said anything about not training you."

She smiled at Madelyn encouragingly, but the little girl just frowned.

April nodded her head towards Madelyn's hands. "What's that?"

Madelyn looked at her hands and the torn pieces of paper. "It was the picture for Mr. Turtle," she explained. "Billy destroyed it."

"Mind if I have a look at it?"

April held out her hand. Madelyn hesitated for a moment, but then placed the pieces of paper in April's hand. April had a close look at it.

"Oh, it's not that bad," she said. "I think I can make it whole again."

"How do you want to do that? It is torn. And it wasn't even finished! I am never going to be able to finish it!"

"Oh, I have one or two things in mind, Madelyn," April said. "So should I give it a try?"

"You really think you can make it whole again?"

April smiled at Madelyn. "Heh, you're talking to the jigsaw-puzzle champion of the O'Neil-family."

And before she even knew what was going on the little girl had flung her arms around her. April just hugged Madelyn back with her one arm, rubbing her back gently, while she was still holding the torn pieces of Madelyn's picture in her other hand.

* * *

That night, Leo and his brothers were gathered on a rooftop. Leo was standing in front of his brothers, giving one of his speeches.

"Gentlemen, thank you very much for your support. Thanks to Donnie, we now know that Billy lives here and what he looks like, and thanks to Raph, we know which room his is. Given the fact that he is an only child which we know thanks to Donnie as well, there isn't to be feared that someone else will catch a glance of me. So, thank you again!"

"Heh, you forgot to mention my amazing sewing skills!" Mikey tossed in, curling his lips.

"No, I did not, Mikey," Leo said. "I wanted to save your amazing work until last."

"Ah, okay! Go on then!" Mikey looked at his brother with wide eyes.

"And this would never have been able without Mikey's outstanding sewing skills," Leo added.

"Yay!" Mikey cheered.

"You know how ridiculous you look, don't you, Leo?" Raph asked.

Leo looked himself over. He was wearing a light blue jumpsuit, a dark blue cape and a white belt. According to Madelyn's picture he was supposed to wear dark blue gloves and boots as well, but that had been too difficult, so he had just wrapped dark blue fabric around his feet and hands over the tape he was wearing. This had to do.

Leo blew a raspberry. "Can it, Raph! We are doing this for Madelyn, remember?"

"Sure. But that doesn't mean I can make at least a little fun of you."

"Couldn't that wait till later, bro?" Mikey asked. "We got a mission."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Fine! Your turn, Leo!"

Leo just nodded and jumped onto the fire escape.

* * *

Billy was already asleep when a knock on his window suddenly roused him from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and then looked over to the window, but there wasn't anything unusual.

Just when he wanted to close his eyes again, there was another knock, and after a few moments a third one, until he finally got up, went over to the window and opened it.

The little boy looked outside, and the moment he thought he must have been dreaming because he couldn't see anything that could have caused the knocking, some strange creature landed on the fire escape, and Billy fell backwards with a gasp. Sitting on the floor now, his fingers dug into the rug on which he had landed as the creature outside stood up. In the silver light of the moon he could make out a turtle-like creature with a blue mask, wearing a light blue jumpsuit and dark blue cape.

"Billy!" the creature said as it crossed its arms over its chest. "I am Mr. Turtle and I've been told that you are telling lies about my dear friend Madelyn."

Billy's fingers dug even deeper into the rug as Mr. Turtle leaned a bit forward and his formerly blue eyes turned completely white.

"And I must tell you, I can't approve of that," the turtle-like creature continued. "So if you don't clear this up, I'll have to punish you. As for now, I'll only give you a warning. You got twenty-four hours to set things straight. If you allow this right to lapse, I'll be back."

Billy inhaled sharply.

"And Billy," Mr. Turtle said as he leaned forward a bit more. "I am watching you. Anywhere. Anytime."

Mr. Turtle narrowed his eyes to slits, and just when Billy thought he couldn't take anymore and couldn't hold back the fearful scream any longer, Mr. Turtle stepped back and disappeared noiselessly into the night.

Billy was breathing heavily when he struggled to his feet. But then he called out a loud "Muuuuuuuummmmmmmyyyyyyy!" and darted out of his room.

* * *

When Leo was back at the rooftop, he smiled as his brothers self-confidently. "Mission accomplished!"

"Good!" Raph said, and Donnie and Mikey nodded approvingly.

But when Leo wanted to take off the jumpsuit, he was stopped by Raph.

"No, Leo," he said. "The others and I have decided, as a compensation for our hard work, you have to wear that until we are back home."

"What?!" Leo burst out. "But it's itchy and uncomfortable! And do you know how dangerous a cape can be?"

Raph just shrugged. "That was our deal, but let's put it to a vote. Whoever wants Leo to wear that costume until we got home, says aye."

"Aye!" Donnie, Raph, and Mikey said with one voice.

"See?" Raph said. "You are outvoted."

Leo just growled.

When they were making their way back over the rooftops, Mikey was grinning broadly.

"Why are you so happy?" Donnie asked.

"Oh, we put something to a vote, and for the first time, I didn't get chosen," Mikey replied.

While the others were doing pretty easily, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Leo was falling behind. The cape was impeding his movements. And when they were climbing down a fire escape, it got entangled in the handrail.

"Whoever thought capes were awesome," Leo mumbled behind gritted teeth as he tried to unloosen the cape again, "was so, so wrong!"


	34. Making It Whole Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April holds her promise and makes Madelyn’s picture whole again.

The bell rang to announce that it was lunch break, but instead of heading to the cafeteria like all the other students did, April O'Neil walked into the opposite direction on her way to the copy room. She had managed to talk Irma into bringing her a sandwich, so she wouldn't risk of having to spend the rest of her school day with a growling stomach. There was something she had to take care of, though, before she could even think of having lunch.

On her way to the copy room, she was thinking about how Leo's plan had turned out the night before. She had been so busy this morning she didn't have a chance to text him.

But maybe she could do that now. She took her Tphone out of her bag, but the moment she did that, it rang which made April jump and she nearly let it fall to the floor.

She silently shook her head over her own jumpiness. Seriously, she was a kunoichi, this kind of things shouldn't startle her. She then looked at the display and frowned for a moment when she read Mr. Dearing's name on it.

_I sure hope everything's okay with Madelyn._

She took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Yes, Mr. Dearing?...No, no, you aren't disturbing me at my lunch break, that's totally okay, so what's up? Is something wrong with Madelyn?" she asked cautiously, frowning deeply, but whatever Mr. Dearing told her washed away the frown from her face and replaced it with a big smile.

"Oh, that's amazing, Mr. Dearing!" she finally called out. "This makes me so happy, you can't even imagine. Thank you for letting me know!"

When she hung up, she typed a quick text to Leo, and then she finally entered the copy room. She walked over to one of the copying machines and took out a piece of paper from her bag – an a bit weird looking piece of paper. The paper was crinkled and there was cellotape all over it, making it a bit shiny. It had taken her half the night to put the pieces back in place and stick them together with the cellotape. It had turned out, being a jigsaw-puzzle champion maybe helped with putting together the pieces of a torn picture, but it sure didn't help with getting the cellotape in place without moving the pieces. This sure had been some hard work. Only the thought of Madelyn's sad face had kept April from giving up and throwing picture and cellotape into the corner, and so, in the end, she had succeeded. Which had made her super-proud – not that she would ever admit it, though.  
She looked at the picture for a moment. It showed a black-haired guy in a yellow-and-black jumpsuit. April smiled at the pic.

_Well, I think, Captain Ryan has never looked any better_ , she thought.

She then placed Madelyn's pic on the glass of the copying machine and made a copy. She looked at the copy for a moment, then threw it away and pushed a few buttons to set the contrast on a higher level and make the colors more intense to make it look like the original even more.

When she held the second copy in her hands, she nodded self-confidently.

_Like I had promised to Madelyn, it's whole again._

* * *

When she arrived at the lair later that day, April was greeted by Leo with a big smile. The blue-masked turtle was sitting in the living room, together with Mikey and Raph. He took his Tphone out and read a text message out loud.

"'It worked!' and a smiley," he said and then looked at April again. "Could you be a bit more detailed about that?"

"Well," April said as she sat down next to him. "Mr. Dearing called me today during my lunch break and told me that he got a call from Mrs. Stenson this morning. That's the teacher that didn't believe Madelyn, but Billy. She said, that Billy and his mum showed up at Mrs. Stenson's room before class, and Billy told her that he had been lying and what really has happened. And right after that, Mrs. Stenson called Mr. Dearing and told him that she now knew the truth and that Billy would have to apologize in front of the class to Madelyn and that she would desist from informing the headmaster. Of course, Mrs. Stenson didn't apologize for anything, but that Billy finally admitted that he had been lying, is good. More than that. It's awesome!"

"It sure is!" Leo confirmed.

"He, Donnie!" he called out then into the direction of Donnie's lab. "It worked!"

"Awesome," was all he got in response, and from the non-exciting sound of it, it was pretty sure that Donnie was too caught up in his work again.

"Ha, it was so sure that this would work!" Mikey said with a broad grin. "My sewing skills are way too good that it wouldn't have worked!"

"We got it, Natty Page!" Raph tossed in and rolled his eyes.

Mikey looked at him, his eyes wide in surprise. "You like my cooking so much that you really compare me to Natty Page?" he asked. "Thank you, bro!"

"I was talking about your sewing skills!"

"But Natty Page is a television cook, so that doesn't count."

"Whatever!"

"Oh, believe me, Mikey," Leo said, "Raph knows pretty well who Natty Page is. After all, he remembers her name correctly."

"I am forced to watch that stupid cookery show!" Raph explained in an annoyed voice. "Just like I am forced to watch your stupid 'Space Heroes'-show!"  
"And aside from complaining all the time, you still watch it and pay enough attention to be able to quote from it," Leo pointed out. "And you never leave when it's on."

"You know what?" Raph said. "I better leave now or I might stop fighting the urge to rearrange your face."

Leo just shrugged. "Just pointing out the obvious."

Raph gave a growl and got up. He marched over to the practice dummy and started giving it a major pummeling.

April had watched this in silence, but now was eager to find out what this was all about.

"Uhm, who's Natty Page?" she asked.

"'Natty Page's Love-Filled Recipes'", Mikey explained. "It's this really good cookery show I love to watch. Natty Page is a great cook, and she inspired me to make up my own recipes."

"And life – or eating Mikey's food – would be so much easier if he had stuck to Natty Page's recipes instead," Leo mumbled to April, which made her giggle.

"I heard that!" Mikey said, a hurt ring to his voice."

"Sorry!" Leo apologized. "It's just that when you make apple pie according to Natty Page, it's delicious. But when you make your apple and pizza-pie, it's just…uhm…"

"Inedible!" Raph called over, without stopping hitting the practice dummy.

Mikey pouted. "You just don't know anything about cooking!"

"Agreed!" Raph said. "But I know a lot about eating!"

"Fine!" Mikey called out. "Then I am going to make my and Natty Page's apple pie tomorrow and April is going to taste both and tell me which one is better."

"Why me?" April asked, slightly shocked.

"Because you are an awesome girl," Mikey said. "And aside from that, you are impartial."

He looked at April with puppy dog eyes. April tried her best to stay strong, but her defense was melted away easily by these big blue eyes.

"I'd…love to," she finally said.

"Alright!" Mikey cheered, making April smile.

_Impartial, right…_

* * *

At the evening of the same day, April showed up at Madelyn's.

"I still can't believe that the boy admitted that he had been lying," Mr. Dearing said.

He and April were sitting in the kitchen, drinking tea, while Madelyn was in her room finishing her latest letter to Mr. Turtle.

"Mrs. Stenson said that he mentioned something about a turtle-like superhero that threatened him into telling the truth," Mr. Dearing continued. "He must have been dreaming."

"Sure!" April said. "He must have had nightmares. We all know, only a quiet conscience sleeps in thunder."

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, but this one time, nightmares are a good thing," Mr. Dearing said.

April smiled into her tea cup before she took another sip. If he only knew.

"I had thought of letting Madelyn stay at home from school until I had figured out what to do, but now, she can go back to school tomorrow." He smiled at April. "That's great."

April nodded in agreement, but before she could say anything, Madelyn stepped into the kitchen and handed a pink letter to April.

"Finished?" April asked with a smile, and Madelyn nodded eagerly.

The teenage girl took the letter and tucked it into her messenger bag.

"Oh, this reminds me," she then said and retrieved a piece of paper which she gave to Madelyn.

Madelyn took the picture and looked at it, blinking a few times.

"That's my picture!" she burst out. "It's whole again!"

"I promised," April said smilingly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Madelyn called out and quickly hugged April. "It's magic!"

"Well, actually, it's a color copy," April explained.

Madelyn looked at her with big eyes. "What's a color copy?"

"You know what a copying machine is?"

Madelyn shook her head.

"Uhm, well then, you better ask Dr. Donnie about this next time you two meet, okay?" April suggested. "He's better at explaining things."

"Okay." Madelyn looked at the picture once more. "I still think it's magic," she said with a smile. "Now I can add Astra Hovaria to the pic and finish it! Thank you, April!"

April patted her head gently.

But when she looked at Mr. Dearing she saw the questioning look in his eyes and frowned.

"Who's Dr. Donnie?" he asked.

"Oh, that's Madelyn's nickname for one of my friends," April explained. "He is very intelligent, that's why Madelyn calls him a doctor."

"I see," Mr. Dearing said and took another sip of his tea. "It's good to know the girl has some nice people to talk to."

"She sure has," April said and patted Madelyn's head once more. "She sure has."

* * *

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_April told me that you aren't mad at me for attacking Billy and that you know what happened and understand me. I was so afraid that you won't train me now, but April said that won't happen._   
_Daddy told me today that Mrs. Stenson called him and told him that Billy admitted that what he said was a lie. I am so happy about this! Now Mrs. Stenson finally knows that Billy is a liar! And I know I have you to thank for. Daddy said that Billy had nightmares about a giant turtle telling him he has to say the truth. I know that this was no nightmare. I know it was you! Thank you so, so much! You always help me, Mr. Turtle. Thank you!_   
_Of course it's okay that Mr. Beam plays with Mrs. Sparkling Hair. I think she likes him and she enjoys spending time with him. You know Mrs. Sparkling Hair. As long as she doesn't complain, everything is okay. She'll never admit that she likes someone, so not complaining about someone is how she shows that she likes someone. And yes, Mr. Beam can make a new outfit for her. The nurse-outfit he made was so beautiful! And Mrs. Sparkling Hair loved it too. I think Mr. Beam is a great designer. Maybe he can make a dress for me one day._   
_Fanfiction sounds awesome! Thanks for explaining fanfictions and fandom to me, Mr. Turtle. Yes, please, look if you can find some amazing 'Unicornia'-stories. And if all fans can write fanfictions, and you and I are 'Unicornia'-fans, do you think we can write our own fanfiction, please? I want to write something about Princess Mille Grazie, but I can't do it alone. Can you help me with this? I can tell you my ideas and you can write the story because you are older and you are better at writing because of this. Can we do that please?_   
_You know that Billy tore my picture of Captain Ryan apart, right? I didn't have time to draw Astra Hovaria, but April made it whole again, and now I can finish it! April is so awesome! I am so lucky to have her as my friend. And you and your brothers, too, Mr. Turtle!_   
_Thank you again for your help!_   
_I hope to see you soon!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_


	35. Pies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April has to decide which pie tastes better - a delicious looking apple pie or Mikey’s apple and pizza-pie. Good thing she decides to tell truth. Or does she?

April tried her best to hide her shock as she looked down on the two apple pies Mikey had placed in front of her on the kitchen table. She frantically looked from the delicious looking apple pie to the one she wouldn't even call an apple pie. She had no idea what it really was. She only knew from Mikey that he called it an apple and pizza-pie. And one thing was for sure – the pepperoni on its crispy looking crust irritated her.

Mikey was watching her with a big grin on his face and he encouragingly nodded at her as he handed her a fork.

Leo was standing behind Mikey, leaning against the countertop, and April felt certain that he was smirking. She could almost see it although she concentrated all her attention on the pies, unsure which one to try first. The delicious looking one first so that the other wouldn't taste so bad or the apple and pizza-pie first so that she could mask the bad taste with some real good apple pie?

But whatever she did, Leo sure would have fun watching her. It must be his way of making up for all the cleaning duty he had been forced to do lately, April thought.

April lifted her head for a moment only to find Mikey still watching her every move with a look of expectancy.

April choked a sigh and then turned her attention to the pies again, taking a forkful of the pizza and apple-pie. She took it into her mouth, fighting hard to not spit it out again. The taste of pepperoni sure was hard to take when it was combined with some extra-sweet apples and sugar, but she somehow managed to swallow it.

And she could have sworn she heard Leo snicker in the background.

She couldn't get a forkful of the other pie into her mouth fast enough, and as she had expected, it was delicious, and it helped a bit to cover the pepperoni taste of the other pie, but it somehow stayed in her mouth, so the delicious pie was a bit ruined by that.

_Okay, mental note, always taste the delicious looking food first_ , April told herself.

"Sooooo," Mikey drawled when she had swallowed her forkful of normal apple pie, "which one is better?"

April looked up at him, thinking of a polite way to tell him that pepperoni and sweet apples just didn't make a good combo, but Mikey gave her this puppy dog eye-look she knew all too well. And as always, the cute look on his face made everything better – and made her even forget about the inedible pepperoni and apples-combo.

Leo must have realized that she was about to cave in because his eyes widened in shock and he gestured at her to stop.

_Leo is right_ , April thought, _I can't just lie to Mikey about his food. That wouldn't help him one bit. I am just going to tell the truth – that I like Natty Page's apple pie better._

She turned back to Mikey and took a deep breath. "Well…," she started.

"Yes?" Mikey interrupted her, his eyes now even bigger in anticipation, his hands clasped, and the words April had prepared in her head just didn't make it out of her mouth.

"That one," she said quickly and pointed at the apple and pizza-pie.

"Yes!" Mikey cheered and punched the air.

But from the sound she heard coming from Leo's direction, April was pretty sure the blue-masked turtle must have slapped his hand against his forehead.

"So I am going to make an apple and pizza-pie for your birthday," Mikey decided. "An extra big one! And you'll have it all for yourself!"

"S…sure," April said, and when she looked at Leo again, she saw that he was chuckling silently.

* * *

Meanwhile Madelyn was standing in front of all the other children in the after-school care club, facing Billy.

The young boy was obviously feeling very insecure, shifting his weight uneasily from one foot to the other.

"Well, Billy, wasn't there something you wanted to say?" Mrs. Stenson said.

"Uhm..yes…," Billy mumbled. "I…uhm…am…sorry, Madelyn. For…for lying about what happened."

"It's okay, Billy," Madelyn said. "I forgive you."

She showed a serious face, knowing that this was what all the princesses in "Unicornia" did, and she had decided to take it like a princess would, when she had thought about what she would do when Billy apologized.

"Okay, kids, you've all heard it," Mrs. Stenson. "It was Billy who had been lying. And we all know that lying is wrong. I hope you are going to change for the better, Billy. You can go now."

Billy didn't dare to look up at Mrs. Stenson. He just nodded and toddled off to the desk where his schoolbag was.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Madelyn was sitting at one of the desks and working on her picture for Mr. Turtle, the one, April had made whole again. She still was surprised what a great job the teenage girl had done. She skimmed over the paper with her hand for a moment before she took a pencil and started drawing Astra Hovaria.

She was concentrating on drawing, but she still couldn't avoid overhearing how Billy told his two friends about what had happened.

"Seriously, he was at my window, a gigantic talking turtle!" he said. "He had this blue cape and blue mask and a superhero-jumpsuit, and he looked really, really angry. Heck, his eyes turned completely white! There were no pupils or an eye-color, just white, blank white! And he told me that I should tell the truth or else he would come for me! Can you believe this?"

"Billy, you had been dreaming," one of his friends said.

"No! He was real!" Billy burst out. "He was real! Mr. Turtle was real!"

His friends just rolled their eyes.

"Billy, do you really want us to believe that a giant talking turtle told you to tell the truth?" one of them said.

"Yes!"

The two other boys just grunted.

"Looks like you had been lying way too much recently," the one boy said.

"Yeah," the other confirmed. "You can't tell the difference between truth and lying any longer."

"But he was real!" Billy insisted.

"Suuuuuuuuuuuure!"

Madelyn couldn't help, but feel a bit sorry for Billy. She knew what it was like to be telling the truth and no-one believed you. But on the other hand, Billy had done such terrible things to her that he maybe deserved it. Maybe he had learned his lesson now and would stop telling lies and picking on her.

Yes, maybe.

* * *

On her way back home from the lair – with a short intermediate stop at Madelyn's because Leo had insisted she got her letter as soon as possible – April fought hard to not let the swaying of the subway car lull her into sleep. It had been a long day, and she had to get up even earlier than usual tomorrow because Irma had insisted they had a studying session for their biology test together before class.

_Like Irma would ever need an extra studying session for biology._ April rolled her eyes.

Irma already was a walking biology-dictionary, heck, she even knew things better than their teacher! And she insisted on an extra studying session?  
Maybe she could talk Casey into joining them, so when he and Irma would start arguing over something she could catch up on some sleep.

No, bad idea. They usually wanted her opinion on what they were arguing about. So maybe she should just keep Casey out of Irma's studying sessions. It would save her a lot of trouble.

On the other hand, it maybe would make Irma's studying session a bit more like a real studying session and not an Irma-monologue about science if someone else was around. At least, Irma would have to explain one or two things to Casey about biology, April was quite sure about that one, and that would keep Irma from explaining things to her she already knew – or that weren't relevant for their test, anyway.

So it was settled. She would ask Casey to join them tomorrow morning.

She started rummaging her messenger bag for her Tphone, but before she could find it, her fingers touched something rustling, and she remembered that she had put a chocolate bar into her bag earlier today. With knowledgeable foresight, so to say. Leo had warned her about Mikey apple and pizza-pie, and she had thought that maybe some chocolate would help her if she wouldn't like the taste. But then, she hadn't had the heart to eat the chocolate bar at the lair in front of Mikey. She hadn't even been able to finish the Natty Page-apple pie, but had eaten all of the apple and pizza-pie with a happily grinning Mikey in front of her and a mischievously snickering Leo in the background.

She had planned on eating the chocolate bar on her way to the subway, but it seemed like she had been too lost in thought to think of that.  
But now that she was holding the chocolate bar in her one hand, it seemed to be right what she had been looking for. She still had the not-so-good taste of Mikey's apple and pizza-pie in her mouth, so she quickly tore the foil open and took a bite.

Was it just her or had chocolate never tasted any better? But the moment she had swallowed it the taste of the apple and pizza-pie was back, so she quickly took another bite.

While she was munching on her chocolate bar, she took her Tphone out and texted Casey about tomorrow's studying session.

Waiting for a reply – and knowing that it could take a while to get one since Casey could be at hockey training right now –, April decided to check if she had gotten any replies to her "Some Answers to Some Questions"-post on her message board. She hadn't had any time to do that in the last days, but probably, only a few people had registered that post anyway.

But when she opened the message board, her eyes widened in shock.

_Fifty replies?!_

Okay, maybe her tiredness had gotten the best of her and turned a five into a fifty. She blinked a few times and looked at the display again – only go gasp. No, there really were fifty replies! Fifty!

April looked up from her Tphone. How was that even possible?

She was so dumbfounded by this, she only realized that this station had been hers when the doors closed again.

* * *

Madelyn was sitting in her bed, the bedside lamp was on, and she had seated Ruffles McBearington and Daisy next to her.

"Ready to read Mr. Turtle's letter?" Madelyn asked the two toys with a smile before she yanked the green envelope open and started reading.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Why would I be mad at you? I know I told you to stay calm and ignore Billy, but sometimes people say or do something that drives us up the wall – no matter how hard we try to not let it get to us. You can ask Mr. Red about this next time you two meet. I bet he has some good stories to tell about this._   
_Madelyn, it was my pleasure. It was about time someone taught this little bully a lesson and I am glad I could help you out. However, I don't like to adorn myself with borrowed plumes, and I have to tell you, it wouldn't have been possible without the help of my brothers. Dr. Donnie and Mr. Red traced Billy – Dr. Donnie did the technological and Mr. Red did the practical part –, and Mr. Beam sewed this amazing superhero-outfit according to your amazing picture._   
_And yes, I guess you are right. Mr. Beam is a great designer. I will ask him about designing a dress for you, but right now, he is working on a new dress for Mrs. Sparkling Hair from the fabric remnants left from my superhero-outfit. And from what I can tell, Mrs. Sparkling Hair likes what he is making for her. At least she hasn't complained about the fittings yet. Maybe you are right and she really likes Mr. Beam._   
_I found some amazing 'Unicornia'-fanfictions. I'll show them to April and she could read them to you. She told me she will be watching over you on Saturday afternoon, so maybe you two can spend the afternoon reading._   
_As for writing a fanfiction, I am not sure if I am the right person to do that. I am not a very good writer, I'm afraid. Maybe you should ask April to help you here. I once read one of her essays. She asked me to check it for any mistakes because Dr. Donnie who usually helps her with her homework when she needs help, was too busy that day. And from what I can tell, she is a pretty good writer. Or maybe we three can do this together. What do you think?_   
_I am so happy to hear that April managed to repair your picture. And yes, she is awesome. I am lucky to have her as my friend as well. And of course I am lucky to call you my friend, Madelyn._   
_I'll see if I can drop by at April's on Saturday. So maybe we'll see each other on Saturday._   
_Have a great time until then!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_


	36. Unicorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn gets super-excited when she finds out she can make up her own unicorn.

" _Okay," Tallulah Twinkle said with a smile. "Let's have a party!"  
And Sweetie Smile cheered in the background and darted into the kitchen to check what they would have to buy for their party._

With a smile April put the print-out back into her messenger bag. It was Saturday afternoon and Mr. Dearing had brought Madelyn round about an hour ago. First, they had thought of watching a "Unicornia"-episode together, but it was such a beautiful, sunny day that they had decided of having a picnic on the rooftop instead.

So they were seated on a blanket now, some drinks and sandwiches in reach, and Madelyn had cuddled up at April while the teenage girl had read the first two chapters of this "Unicornia"-fanfiction, Leo had told her, about to Madelyn.

When April turned back to the little girl, she realized she was looking at her with questioning eyes.

"Yes?" April asked.

"Are there more chapters?" Madelyn asked.

"Sure!" April said. "There are like thirty of them so far, and this fanfiction is updated regularly."

"Can we read another chapter?" Madelyn asked further.

"Sorry," April replied. "I didn't have time to print out any more chapters at school.

"Oh." Madelyn lowered her eyes, the disappointment clearly hearable in her voice.

April bit her lower lip. It was only afternoon and Leo wouldn't be able to show up before evening when it was safe.

_If_ he managed to show up. It wasn't so sure if he would make it today. The Kraang had been a bit more active lately, so it wasn't sure if Leo and the others wouldn't encounter any troubles at their evening patrol. Because of this, she unfortunately needed to scratch Leo's arrival from her mental "Things that cheer Madelyn up"-list.

"Well, it would be a bit too difficult to read the chapter on my Tphone, but I could look up the third chapter on my laptop when it's done charging," April suggested. "If you can wait another half an hour."

Madelyn nodded eagerly.

April smiled at her.

"Well, I think they better make a shopping list," the little girl suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"Tallulah Twinkle and Sweetie Smile," Madelyn explained. "Or else they might forget to buy something important for their party."

"Sure," April said. "Shopping lists are very helpful. I hope they'll think of that, too."

"But there is one thing I don't understand in this story," Madelyn went further.

April raised her eyebrows.

"Who is this Scribbling Ink?" Madelyn asked. "I've never seen her in the show."

April mentally went through the chapters she had read to Madelyn. And yes, there had been a unicorn named Scribbling Ink. And she now wracked her brain if she could somehow connect this unicorn with the show. Having watched a few episodes with Madelyn, she knew Scribbling Ink hadn't shown up in those, but she hadn't watched all of the episodes yet, so this unicorn could still show up. Maybe Madelyn was mistaken. On the other hand, Madelyn knew _everything_ about "Unicornia", so how should it be possible that she forgot about one of the unicorns? And then April remembered something Leo had told her in his one-hour lecture about fandom-vocabulary yesterday. It had had something to do with new characters. April frowned.

_Lucky, I made some notes._

She rummaged her bag for said notes, skimming over them once she had retrieved the papers from her bag.

"There it is," she finally said. "It looks like Scribbling Ink is what is called an OC, an original character. That's a character made up by a fan."

"Really?" Madelyn asked in a surprised voice.

"Well, according to my notes about fandom-things, yes," April replied and tapped on said passage with her finger before she took the notes away again.

But when she looked back at Madelyn, she found the little girl still staring at her with eyes widened in surprise. Except from that, Madelyn somehow seemed to have frozen.

"Uhm, Madelyn, are you okay?" April asked cautiously.

In that moment Madelyn suddenly jumped to her feet. "This is so awesome!" she called out. "Fans can make their own unicorns! That's great! Oh, I can't believe it! It's wonderful!"

This sudden outbreak of joy made April flinch a bit before she mentally slapped herself for being so jumpy.

_Kunoichi, remember?_

And so she watched Madelyn skipping about laughingly and saying how awesome this was.

This made April giggle.

Madelyn suddenly stopped and sat down in front of April.

"Can I make my own unicorn?" she asked, looking at April expectantly.

"I guess so," April replied. She wasn't really used to this whole fandom-stuff, so she needed to go for what she knew already – and that was that other fans had made their own unicorns. Okay, she only knew of one, Scribbling Ink, and according to Donnie, you couldn't base a theory on only one incident, but this wasn't science, this was "Unicornia", so she thought it would be okay.

"Yay!" Madelyn cheered. "I want mine to have turquoise fur and a pink mane and tail. And it would be a girl, and she would be very good at drawing, no, I want her to be a very popular artist. And she would meet Rosaria at an exhibit. You know, Rosaria is the unicorn among Tallulah Twinkle's friends that is interested in arts the most. After all, she is a designer. She needs to be interested in beautiful things. So, she and Rosaria would meet and they would become friends and Rosaria would introduce her to Tallulah Twinkle and the others, and then they all would become friends…"

April just smiled at Madelyn's explanations about her own unicorn although somewhere between something about the Rosaria, a lost brother from the Princess of the Summer and Mille Grazie – since when did they speak Italian in this show, anyway? – she lost the thread.

It was only when Madelyn addressed her with a question that she snapped back into actually listening.

"So what do you think?" Madelyn asked looking at her with big eyes that had some resemblance with Mikey's puppy dog eyes.

"I…uhm…think you should draw a picture of your unicorn," she said.

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Madelyn called out and reached for her drawing pad and her pencils they had brought along when she and April had decided to have a picnic at the rooftop and quickly started drawing.

April choked a sigh of relief. She was really happy that she had been able to get off the hook so easily. And she quickly added "Suggest a drawing" to her mental "Keep Madelyn busy"-list.

* * *

"What do you think?" Madelyn asked once she was finished with the picture and showed it to April.

"I think she looks beautiful," April said with a smile at she looked at the picture that showed Madelyn's unicorn.

Madelyn just beamed at her in response.

"But I think we better get back inside," April said and got to her feet. "It's getting dark and I'm a bit chilly."

Madelyn looked over her shoulder and scanned the surrounding rooftops. April placed a hand on her shoulder.

"My aunt is coming home late today," she said. "Mr. Turtle still has more than enough time to show up if he can make it today.

When Madelyn turned back to her, April was afraid Madelyn could have one of her tantrums again, but she and Leo had met a week ago, and Madelyn only had tantrums when she had been waiting for too long.

But still, there was this fear in the back of April's head, so she had to choke a sigh of relief for the second time that day when Madelyn just nodded in response.

Then they gathered their stuff and soon were climbing down the stairs.

Back inside the apartment April sat down on the couch and took her laptop from the coffee table, unplugging it when she realized it was done charging.

Madelyn sat down next to April and looked at the laptop screen.

"Are you looking for new chapters?" she asked.

April nodded, but then looked at Madelyn. "Or do you want to do something else?"

Madelyn shifted on her seat, looking a bit uneasy.

"Well," she started, "my unicorn has no name yet."

April frowned. "Oh, yeah, sure, that's right," she said. "So what do you want to do?"

Madelyn looked at her. "Can we try to find a name for her?"

April smiled down at the little girl. "Sure!"

"Yay!"

"So, what do you have in mind?"

"It has to be something with an M", Madelyn said. "After all, she is my unicorn."

"Miranda, maybe?" April suggested.

"That's no unicorn-name!" Madelyn giggled.

"Oh, okay," April chuckled. "What are unicorn-names?"

"They are unusual and beautiful and very often, they are double names."

"Hmmm…" April frowned. "Unusual and beautiful and a double name...Let me think…" She looked at the unicorn-picture Madelyn had placed on the coffee table. "What about…"

"Yes?" Madelyn looked at her with an expecting look on her face.

"Morning Dew?" April said. "That would M.D. in initials. M.D. – Morning Dew." She looked at Madelyn with a warm smile. "Or Madelyn Dearing."

Madelyn's jaw dropped and she gasped. She looked at April with an open mouth for a few moments and then she jumped up and flung her arms around April. The teenage girl was so surprised by this that she fell backwards on the couch. Madelyn couldn't care less.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she said. "This is an awesome, beautiful, perfect unicorn-name!"

April just giggled as she hugged Madelyn back.

"You're welcome!"

Then there was a knock at the window and the two sat up.

When she saw who was outside, Madelyn gasped again and ran over to the window. April followed at a slower pace.

So when she arrived at the window, Madelyn was already jumping up and down in anticipation. April realized that with a smile, and then finally opened the window to Leo who jumped inside.

"Mr. Turtle!" Madelyn called out and hugged him as soon as his feet touched the ground.

"Having fun, girls?" Leo asked with a grin.

"Yes, we're having a lot of fun," Madelyn replied as she let go of him, took him by the hand and led him to the couch. "I made my own unicorn." With that she showed her picture to Leo as they sat down on the couch. "Her name is Morning Dew, April suggested this name, and it is so perfect for her!"

April sat down next to Madelyn who looked from April to Leo and back to April.

"Oh, I have a wonderful idea!" she called out and clapped her hands gleefully. "Why don't you make your own unicorns as well?"

April and Leo shared a look.

"Well, I think we might need your help, Madelyn," Leo said then. "April and I don't know as much about unicorns as you do. Would you help us?"

"Sure!" Madelyn clapped her hands again. "I start with your unicorn, Mr. Turtle." She looked at April. "If that's okay for you, April."

"Of course!" April said.

"Yay!" Madelyn cheered and then got up to get her drawing pad and pencils.

* * *

Later that evening, Madelyn insisted that Mr. Turtle tucked her in and read the third chapter of this awesome "Unicornia"-story to her on April's laptop as a good night-story. April studied for a trig-exam in the meantime in the living room.

When she came back into her room when she was done, Madelyn was already fast asleep.

April just nodded to Leo, and he understood.

He took the picture Madelyn had drawn for him and climbed outside onto the fire escape. April had told him without any words that her aunt could be back any minute now.

Leo looked down at Madelyn's picture which showed a green unicorn with a blue mane and a blue tail. He smiled at it before he folded it together and tucked it under his belt.

April had her picture already hung up on the wall. Madelyn had made her unicorn yellow with an orange mane and tail.

Both unicorns were still nameless because they hadn't been able to agree upon names for them. But April and Leo had had to promise faithfully to Madelyn that they would think about names before they went to sleep themselves.

"Aurora," Leo said.

"Huh?"

"Your unicorn," Leo explained. "I think you should name her Aurora."

April thought about that for a moment. "You know what, Leo?" she said. "I think you're right."

"Well, April," Leo said with a grin, "you should know by now that I'm _always_ right."

Hearing him say what she had told him so many times before made April giggle and she playfully hit his upper arm.

"Ouch, this violent kunoichi!" Leo called out just as playfully.

But then Madelyn mumbled something in her sleep, and Leo and April shared a look, each of them quickly putting their index fingers to their lips.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhtttt!" they said to each other, then giggled silently.

And with that Leo waved at April, turned around and left.


	37. Training Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo tries to set up a training plan for Madelyn.

When Master Splinter walked past Leo's room, he couldn't help, but glance inside when he found the door open – only to find his oldest son perched on his bed, bent over what seemed to him like the most difficult Sudoku one could think of. Leo's brows were furrowed and a frustrated sigh left his mouth while his eyes were glued to the piece of paper in front of him. His fingers played with the pencil in his hand, unnoticed to him as if they had their own life, since he was concentrating all his attention to the piece of paper.

A frown appeared on Splinter's face, thinking about if it would be better to leave his son alone and let him figure this out by himself or offer his help, but when Leonardo sighed once more, it was settled. Splinter could at least ask what was going on.

"What troubles you, Leonardo?" he asked through the open door, and Leo's head immediately snapped up.

"Nothing," he replied when he set eyes on his sensei before he turned back to his paper. "Nothing important."

"Well, you seem very troubled for something that isn't even important," Splinter went on. "Mind if I come in?"

"No, not all," Leo replied and beckoned his sensei to have a seat on the bed next to him.

Splinter gave a warm smile as he entered the room and did as his son wished. He peeked over Leo's shoulder and was only a little bit disappointed when he couldn't make out a Sudoku grid on it, but just notes in Leo's flawless handwriting.

"So, what is this about?" he asked.

"Well," Leo started, "I promised Madelyn some time ago that I would show her some basics in self-defense." He looked at his sensei, not sure how he would react to that. "Nothing difficult, just a few basics."

"I see," Splinter said. "But you know if you train her, you are responsible."

"Hai, sensei," Leo replied. "But she was so afraid and insecure when her father got hurt in a car accident and after they were taken hostage by the Rat King that I am willing to take the burden of this responsibility if it makes her feel safer."

"That's very noble from you, Leonardo." Splinter smiled at his son. "You already have a lot of responsibilities for such a young age and still you care for that little girl so much that you agree on putting even more of that on your shoulders."

Leo just nodded in response. But when he turned back to his paper, he sighed again.

"But I guess that is not what is troubling you, am I right?" Splinter asked.

Leo nodded again. "It's about this basics-stuff!" he burst out, slamming one hand on the piece of paper. "I don't seem to be able to get it right!"  
"What do you mean?"

"Well, basics, sensei," Leo explained. This just earned him a frown from Splinter, and Leo realized that repeating what he practically just had burst out at a normal voice couldn't really be considered an explanation.

"It's just that all I can think of seems far too advanced for Madelyn," he tried again. "She's a little girl, just a beginner, but when I think of the easy stuff one part of my brain keeps telling me that this is too easy, and I don't want her to believe that I think she is stupid or won't get it when I start with too easy things."

"Hmmmm." Splinter stroked his beard. "I can see your point, Leonardo, but from what I know of this Madelyn, I can tell that she must be a cheerful little girl. And this reminds me of you and your brothers when you were little. And when I started training you, you all were so eager to learn, you didn't care if things were too easy. On the contrary, you were proud and gained more self-confidence with every new thing you learned, and the sooner you figured it out, the better it seemed to work for you, the more eagerly you wanted to learn something new." He looked at Leo. "So, don't you care about if it is too easy for her or not, just do it." And with that he took the piece of paper away from Leo and crumpled it up. "And forget your notes. Just think of the first thing you want to show her. Everything else is going to evolve from there."

Leo whose eyes had widened in shock when he saw what Splinter did to his carefully taken notes, relaxed again. Splinter always did things for a reason, and maybe he was right.

"Is that what you did when you started training us?" he asked. "Let it evolve from there?"

"Well, you of course need an overall-plan, a result you want to achieve" Splinter admitted. "But I am sure you have that already."

Leo nodded, but then he lowered his eyes, thinking if he should ask the question that was already waiting on the tip of his tongue. He looked at Splinter and the warmth in his father's eyes assured him.

"Sensei," he started.

"Yes?"

"Why did you start training us to become ninjas?" he finally asked.

Splinter's eyes widened a bit at this question, but then he relaxed again. "Well, I think it was the same reason you want to teach Madelyn a few basics," he said after a little while in which he had thought of the best way to put this into words. "I wanted you to feel safe, I wanted to prepare you for life. And ninjitsu was what I knew. It was – and still is – my way of preparing you for what you are going to face in your lives." He paused for another moment. "I know that me being a ninja master doesn't automatically mean that my children…" – he flinched the tiniest of bits when he said that, but Leo noticed and he knew that he was thinking of Karai, no, Miwa because otherwise he would have said "sons" – "…had to become ninjas as well. I hoped for it, though. All I did was teaching you what I could do best. I think this is what all parents do. I wanted you to participate in what was important to me – just as you were an important part of my life – and always will be."

"I see, sensei," Leo said. "Thank you, father." Splinter looked at him, but before he could say anything, Leo continued, "For letting us participate in this important part of your life."

Splinter just looked at him with a warm smile before he placed a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"You are welcome, my son."

* * *

When Splinter had left, Leo took Madelyn's letter out from the drawer of his bedside table. He had gotten it from April this afternoon, but thought he needed to set up a training plan first. But now that he had decided to go with what Splinter had suggested he could finally read it.

With a smile he yanked the letter open.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_It was so nice to see you on the weekend! I had a lot of fun._   
_Okay. I will ask Mr. Red next time I see him about getting mad. I want to know what kind of stories he can tell me about it._   
_Billy mentioned the superhero-outfit, and I bet it looked amazing. Mr. Beam is really good at this. I can't wait to see Mrs. Sparkling Hair's new outfit. And I really hope he can make me a dress one day. It will be beautiful!_   
_Could you please tell your brothers my thanks for helping you teaching Billy a lesson? You all did a great job, and I am really thankful for that._   
_I forgot to mention that I really want to see you wearing the superhero-outfit. Do you think you could wear it next time we meet? The cape must look so amazing!_   
_The 'Unicornia'-fanfiction you found is so beautiful! I really, really like it. And there are so many more chapters you and April can read to me. This is so great!_   
_And I really enjoyed making my own unicorn. Morning Dew looks awesome. And so do your and April's unicorns. April told me today that you had suggested 'Aurora' as a name for her unicorn and that she decided to really name her 'Aurora'. This is such a beautiful name, and it fits her unicorn really well. Have you decided for a name for your unicorn yet, Mr. Turtle?_   
_I haven't talked to April about writing a fanfiction together yet, but now that we all have our own unicorns, I think it is just logical that we write our own story. This will be great! Our unicorns will be best friends and experience adventures together!_   
_I hope we can meet soon!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

When Leo was finished with the letter his eyes wandered over to the clothes hook where his superhero-outfit was hanging. He shifted a bit uneasily when he thought of its uncomfortableness and the itchy fabric, but if it made Madelyn happy, he would have to wear it once again. It wouldn't kill him – well, as long as his cape didn't get entangled at a real bad time, while he was jumping down a building or so. He just needed to be careful. But he still didn't get the obsessiveness of superheroes with capes. They were so unpractical! He slightly shook his head at this thought.

Then his eyes wandered over to Madelyn's picture of his unicorn. He still had no idea how to name it. Heck, he even had no idea what a good unicorn name would be!

Then he thought of Madelyn mentioning that it would be great if Mikey could make her a dress. So he needed to talk to Mikey anyway. And after all, his little brother was the naming-stuff-expert. Maybe Mikey could think of a unicorn-name as well.

And with that he got up and marched over to the door.

"Mikey!" he called out once he was in the corridor. "Can you help me with something, bro?"

* * *

When he arrived back at his room half an hour later, he just slumped down on his bed with a groan.

"Cleaning duty!" he called out. "Why does it always have to be cleaning duty?"

* * *

The next afternoon April was picking up Madelyn. They had planned on going to the playground, but while Madelyn was getting ready, Mr. Dearing took April aside.

The thoughtful look on his face made April frown.

"April," he said, "I heard some rumors that there is a strange guy hanging around the playground sometimes. I know, people like to talk and some do overreact, but this isn't something one should take lightly. So, please be careful, will you? And if anything looks suspicious, just the teeniest, tiniest bit, call me. Don't hesitate, just call me, okay?"

And with that he placed a hand on her shoulder and repeated firmly, "Call me!"

Under his keen look, all April could do was nod and say, "Of course, Mr. Dearing!"

And that moment Madelyn left her room and skipped over to them.

Mr. Dearing's earnest look immediately turned into a warm smile when he turned to his daughter.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Madelyn just nodded in response, walked over to April and the teenage girl took her by the hand.

"We'll be back in about an hour!" she said to Mr. Dearing, and with that she and Madelyn left the apartment.

At the playground April was perched on one of the benches, scanning her surroundings closely. If there was any strange guy nearby, he sure was good in hiding – or more likely, he wasn't even there. Her brows were furrowed as she made one last overall-look before she took out her laptop out from her messenger bag with a determined nod. Now that she was sure the coast was clear, there was something she needed to take care of. She placed the laptop on her lap and opened a document. She couldn't access her messenger board here. It was easier to do that – and hide her digital tracks – at home. So she had decided to prescribe what she wanted to say to all the people that had given her feedback to her "Some Answers to Some Questions"-post – which had been sixty-nine yesterday when she had last checked the board– and post it later when she was back home.  
She looked over to Madelyn who was playing in the sandpit with one of her dolls to check if she was okay, then scanned her surroundings once more, and then started writing.  
 _  
_ _Thank you all for your feedback. As you know I can't go into much detail, but I can assure that what I have told you before is true. And from your replies I realize now that I am not the only one who had known that something strange is going on in this city._

She was tapping away one her laptop for half an hour now, only glancing over to Madelyn every once in a while. But what she didn't see was the man standing in the shadows of a nearby building, wearing dark clothes that made him nearly invisible, even to a kunoichi. And that April was focusing on Madelyn and her writing, helped this guy a lot to stay hidden. He was looking over to the playground, the sandpit, to be correct, and a grin appeared on his face.

"Pretty little girl wants to play with me!" he mumbled happily.


	38. A Knight's Cape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April tells Leo about a creepy guy hanging around at the playground where Madelyn loves to play.  
> This chapter takes place right after "Mazes and Mutants".

With a sigh Leo slumped down on his bed.

"Why does it always have to be cleaning duty?" he mumbled in a frustrated voice.

But actually, that wasn't the main question. The main question was: Why did Mikey have to start this "cleaning duty for something else"-stuff as well? Well, maybe because of the fact that Donnie and Raph had somehow shown him how easy it was to make Leo take over their cleaning duty if they had something he really wanted – or needed.

And why on earth hadn't Leo been able to come up with a name for his unicorn himself? He had made up one for April's unicorn, so why had his mind been totally blank when it had come to his own unicorn?

Okay, if he had known beforehand that Mikey would ask for taking over his cleaning duty for two days in exchange for a unicorn-name, Leo wouldn't have asked him for help in the first place. But unfortunately, Leo had thought that his youngest brother would _love_ to help him out with a unicorn-name, that he would _enjoy_ naming the unicorn Madelyn had drawn for Leo, that Mikey would just do it for the _fun_ of it. Well, he had been mistaken. Mikey had had fun thinking of a name, true, but he had told Leo that he would only do it if he took over his cleaning duty. And out of a lack of own ideas, Leo had given in.

 _Lorenzo… Why_ on earth hadn't he been able to come up with a name like that of his own?! It was so _easy_!

But he had to admit, it suited his unicorn just fine.

With another sigh Leo turned his head and glanced over to his wall where all of Madelyn's pictures were hanging. A smile appeared on his face when he set eyes on _Lorenzo_.

But still, this whole cleaning duty-thing had to stop, Leo thought as he rolled on his carapace. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was cleaning utensils. He even _dreamed_ about them!

Next time he needed help and his brothers wanted something in exchange, he would have to suggest something else. This cleaning duty-take over wasn't working any longer. At least, not for him.

He had been so happy yesterday when they had started playing "Mazes and Mutants" because he had thought, maybe a good board game would make Mikey forget about what he had promised him. That was one of the reasons he had set up this whole LARP-thing – and the fact that it really had sounded – and really had been – fun. And actually, he had wanted to dress up as a knight, as a side note.

He glanced over to the clothes hook where his superhero-outfit was waiting for its next mission. It was now accompanied by his knight-costume.

He couldn't help, but chuckle when he spotted the cape of his knight-costume. Who would have thought he would ever wear a cape _voluntarily_? He himself at least, now that he knew how impractical and dangerous capes were.

But knights wore armor and a cape, so he had had to wear one, too. He thought of the time when he had searched the lair for something he could turn into suitable pieces of clothing for a knight. And when he had had everything he had needed, Mikey had reminded him that he still was missing a cape. First, Leo had thought of just let this matter pass, but then he had decided that if they all were LARPing, he wanted to do it right. So he had searched the lair again, looking for something that would work as a cape _without_ completely freaking him out at the thought of having to wear a cape again.

And then he had found it, at the bottom of his closet – his duckie-blanket. This blanket had been his cuddly blanket when he had been a toddler – Raph still insisted Leo had needed that blanket until he had turned twelve, but that wasn't true. Okay, he had used the duckie-blanket as a bed cover until he had turned twelve, but not because he had needed it, but because he had liked to be reminded of the way it had made him feel when he had been younger. _Needing_ something and _having_ something because you _liked_ it, was something totally different. But those were things Raph would never understand.

So when Leo had found his old duckie-blanket he had nearly squealed in joy – only the fact that Raph had been standing nearby had prevented this sound to leave his throat, but that hadn't been able to reduce his joy. The duckie-blanket was just _perfect_! As a toddler he had loved this blanket so much because he had imagined it to keep the demons of the night and the monsters from under his bed away. So it had been because of this blanket that he hadn't been disturbed by nightmares so much. And if a nightmare had made it through the cozy warmth of his duckie-blanket, burying his face into the blanket when had woken with a start had made everything better.

Of course, Raph hadn't been able to resist when he had realized Leo was wearing his duckie-blanket.

"Wouldn't have imagined seeing you wearing a cape again," he had said with a grin. "But of course, if it's your _baby_ blanket!" He then had laughed at his own comment, but Leo had felt noble enough to just ignore him. He had been a knight then, and knights were noble – even nobler then Leonardo usually was.

He had no idea if it had been because of the duckie-blanket or because he had just been lucky, but wearing a cape hadn't turned out as bad as it had when he had been forced to wear his superhero-cape. He liked to think that it had been because of his duckie-blanket, though. And he had actually enjoyed it.

This whole LARP-adventure had been a lot of fun on the whole, especially when they had found out it had just been a game right from the beginning. And they had found another mutant, Sir Malachi. And maybe, one day if they needed another adventure without any actual danger included, Sir Malachi would be in for another game. After all, he was really great at making illusions.

Leo was still wondering how the sparrow-mutant actually did this. He had never heard of or seen a mutant whose mutation had brought along any psychic powers. Well, except for Rockwell. But Rockwell had been experimented on to become psychic, so whatever stuff Falco had been given him had given him psychic powers in the first place. The mutation had only been a side effect. At least, that was what Leo had made up in his mind. It wasn't approved by Donnie, so he could be terribly wrong, but Leo could live with that kind of explanation. Why bother Donnie when he could think of an explanation that fitted for him, all by himself? He would turn to Donnie if he needed a scientist's opinion. But for now, his common sense-explanation was good enough.

Leo looked at his alarm clock and realized that April could show up at the lair any time now. So he reached into the drawer of his bedside table to retrieve his latest letter to Madelyn. He wanted to reread it before he gave it to April.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Yes, it was really nice on the weekend. I had a lot of fun myself._  
Maybe we can all meet together soon and you can talk to Mr. Red then.  
I talked to Mr. Beam and he is nearly finished with Mrs. Sparkling Hair's new outfit. And when I told him about making a dress for you he was totally excited. He told me to ask you what kind of dress you have in mind and if you can send him one of your dresses, so he would get the measurements right. I'll ask April for her help here. She could bring Mr. Beam one of your dresses if it's okay for you.  
I told my brothers your thanks. They all were happy to help.  
We'll see. Maybe I'll wear the superhero-outfit next time we two meet, and I really hope this next time is going to be soon. I started thinking about what I can teach you first regarding self-defense, and I have one or two things in mind. I am going to tell April about it as well, so that she can show you something if we won't be able to meet soon.  
Yes, my unicorn has a name now as well – Mr. Beam helped me to find one. I decided to name my unicorn 'Lorenzo'.  
I am glad you're enjoying the fanfiction, I looked up for you. And you are right, now that we have our unicorns, Morning Dew, Aurora, and Lorenzo definitely should become friends and go on adventures together. April is coming to my place a little later and I'll tell her about it. I bet she'll like the idea.  
See you soon, Madelyn!

_Yours,  
Mr. Turtle_

He had just finished reading when there was a knock at his door, and April entered when he asked her in.

Leo greeted her with a smile. "You're right on time," he said. "I just finished my letter." And with that he folded the piece of letter paper, put it into an envelope and sealed it.

But when he looked back at April, he realized the slight frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," April replied with a forced smile.

"Well, this _nothing_ sure is bothering you if it wrinkles your forehead like that," Leo said.

Immediately, April placed a hand on her forehead, so it was covered. "Better now?"

Leo shook his head. "I know it's still there."

April just gave a light nod and removed her hand again.

"It is nothing, really."

"Tell me about this nothing," Leo suggested. "Or else I'm afraid you are going to be the first teenager with such deep wrinkles on their forehead. Seriously, April, it doesn't suit you. It makes you look older, and yes, I can imagine that sometimes it has its advantages, but not like that, believe me."

April replied with another sigh and then sat down on the edge of Leo's bed.

Leo just handed her the letter, giving her a bit more time to think about what he just had said. April carefully put the letter into her messenger bag before she turned back to Leo.

"Okay," she finally said. "It's just that Mr. Dearing told me about rumors of a strange guy hanging around the playground where Madelyn loves to play. We were there yesterday, and I really looked out for this guy, but there was no one there. That's actually a good sign, I know that, but it still gives me the creeps. He still could show up. I'm afraid something could happen to Madelyn."

"Looks like I somehow sensed that," Leo said. "I was working on Madelyn's training plan recently. But since I have no idea when I can meet her again, I wanted to ask you if you can show her one or two things, just the basics, you know, what to do when someone tries to grab her and such things."

April nodded. "Maybe we can stay in the dojo after training this evening and you can show me exactly what you have in mind."

"Okay," Leo replied.

There was a moment of silence, and although it never was a big problem between them if neither said anything, the silence this time just didn't feel right. They both knew they were dwelling on gloomy thoughts, and Leo suddenly decided that it was enough.

"Lorenzo," he said to April.

"Huh?"

"The name of my unicorn," he explained. "Mikey _helped_ me."

"In exchange for taking over his cleaning duty?" April asked with a smirk.

"Who told you that?!"

April just shrugged. "No one. It just seems to become a habit of your brothers, you know."

"I most certainly do!"

April just giggled.

"I like the name," she said then. "It kinda fits."

Leo nodded. "And now that we all have our own unicorns, Madelyn has decided we should write our own fanfiction with the three of them."

April just blinked a few times. "And by _'we'_ you mean…"

"You, Madelyn, and me," Leo explained. "You are in charge of the writing part."

"And you decided this _when_?"

"When Madelyn told me about writing fanfictions the first time and I remembered what a great writer you are. I found out when I read this one essay of yours."

"Leo, that was just one essay! You can't base a theory on only one incident! Donnie should have taught you by now!"

"Talent is no incident, April. I know you can do it!" He beamed at her. "So, are you in?"

"Okay," April gave in with a sigh. "If…"

"No!"

"But…"

"Just no!"


	39. Pretty Little Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The strange guy shows up at Madelyn’s favorite playground again.

Leo was watching the playground closely through a spyglass from the rooftop of a nearby building. If a creepy guy was lurking down there anywhere, he sure would find him.

He had no idea how long he had been doing this until a frustrated sounding sigh behind him reminded him that it must have been quite a while.

"Are we done yet?" Raph asked. "We are up on this rooftop for about half an hour now, and we finished our mutagen canister-search about an hour ago, so can we please call it a night and go home?"

"You can go if you want to," Leo announced without even turning around. "I'll stay a little longer."

"Leo, you're wasting your time," Donnie chimed in. "If this guy's hanging around at the playground because of the children, he sure wouldn't show up at nighttime when no children are there."

"It's worth a try," Leo said.

"Okay," Donnie said with a sigh. "I'll wait half an hour longer, but if nothing happens, I'm off, okay?"

Leo just nodded.

Raph who had already stood up slumped down again. "Okay, I give you half an hour as well."

Mikey looked from Raph to Donnie to Leo and back to Raph.

"That's thirty minutes, right?" he asked.

"Yes, Mikey, half an hour is thirty minutes," Donnie confirmed.

"Okay, it's thirty minutes then," Mikey said as he sat down next to Raph, but then he sat eyes on Leo again. "Hey, maybe I should get down there and play in the sandpit or so," he suggested then.

It was the first time since they had arrived that Leo put the spyglass down and turned to face Mikey. "Why's that?"

"Well, we are here to make sure this creepy guy that maybe is hanging around Madelyn's playground won't cause any trouble, right?"

Leo nodded. "It's amazing how you can pay attention sometimes."

"I promised Mrs. Sparkling Hair, that's all," Mikey said. "So maybe I should get down there and be bait. We know what a good bait I am. And when I can have some fun while doing so, even better."

"I appreciate how much thought you put into that," Leo said appreciatively. "But I'm afraid it won't work. This guy sure isn't looking for ninja turtles."

"Oh, I see," Mikey said and lowered his eyes.

"But it was a great idea nonetheless," Leo said with an attempt to cheer Mikey up.

"Thanks, bro!" Mikey replied with a grin.

A few moments passed in silence and Leo turned back to have a close eye on the playground.

"Maybe next time you should promise Mrs. Barking Hair to pay attention when we are on an important mission," Raph suddenly said to Mikey.

"I promised Mrs. _Sparkling_ Hair to watch over Madelyn," Mikey declared. "I can't talk to her about our important missions."

"Why not?"

With a conspiratorial grin Mikey leaned closer to Raph and whispered loud enough so that his other brothers could hear him as well, "Because they are _top secret_!"

Raph looked at him a moment, blinking a few times, before he let out a grunt and shook his head. Sometimes he really wondered what was going on in Mikey's head. Or what it would be like to live in Mikey's little world where it was okay to promise something to a doll, but you weren't allowed to tell said doll anything about what you thought was top secret.

They didn't say anything until the thirty minutes were over, then Leo silently put the spyglass away, beckoned to his brothers, and they took off.

But before Leo followed them he couldn't help, but take a quick glance over to the apartment building where he knew Madelyn lived. There was light in what Leo knew was the living room of the apartment, so Mr. Dearing was still up.

Leo couldn't help, but sigh in disappointment before he followed his brothers.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_That's awesome! I can't wait to see Mrs. Sparkling Hair's new outfit. Could you bring her along next time we meet?  
I thought about my own dress, and it would be great to have a blue-checked dress with a swinging skirt. I love when skirts really swing when I spin, it looks so nice! But I leave the design to Mr. Beam. I want to be surprised. I picked one of my older dresses that I don't wear so often, but it fits me fine. I'll give it to April later. We are going on another photographer's walk today. This month's theme is about easiness.  
_' _Lorenzo' is a beautiful name. I really like it. And it fits your unicorn, Mr. Turtle. April and I were talking about our unicorns when she brought me your letter, and she said that you and she talked about our fanfiction. She told me I should think of our first chapter and that she'll write it down once I have decided how our unicorns should meet. I thought that Lorenzo and Aurora could already be friends, and then Morning Dew moves into town and they meet her and they want to help her settling in. It's a bit like with you and April. You already were friends before you and I met, but now we are all friends. Do you think that's a good idea? And maybe Morning Dew is a bit shy and doesn't want to find friends because she never had friends before, but Lorenzo and Aurora are really nice and they become friends after all. Or maybe they meet at one of Morning Dew's exhibitions. Morning Dew is an artist, you know. This reminds me, what is your unicorn's job? April said she wants her unicorn to be a photographer. Maybe Morning Dew and Aurora could both show their art pieces at a gallery together and so meet each other. That would be nice. What do you think of this? I'll talk to April about this later._  
I can't wait to see you in your superhero-outfit!

_Yours,  
Madelyn_

Madelyn had just sealed the envelope when she heard the doorbell. Knowing that this must be April, the little girl quickly jumped up, grabbed the envelope and her old dress that she had put on her bed and rushed out of her room.

* * *

April barely had a chance to say hi to Mr. Dearing because the moment she had entered the apartment, Madelyn came running over to her and flung her arms around her.

"April!"

"Hello, Madelyn!" April replied with a smile.

"This is for Mr. Turtle," Madelyn explained as she let go of April and handed her the pink envelope. "And this is for Mr. Beam." And with that she handed April her old dress.

"Uhm, okay," April said and stuffed both into her messenger bag. Thanks to the dress the bag was pretty overstuffed now, but since she could still close it, April didn't really care.

Mr. Dearing frowned when he saw that.

"Mr. Beam?" he asked.

"That's…another friend of mine," April explained. "He's…a…uhm…"

"Designer," Madelyn tossed in. "He wants to make me a new dress."

Mr. Dearing blinked a few times. "You have some interesting friends, April."

"Yes," April said with an insecure laugh. "I know."

She thought of something which could prevent Mr. Dearing from digging any further into this matter. "Well, uhm, we have to go now," she said then, patting the camera she wore on a sling around her neck. "Photographer's walk, you know. I need special lighting conditions. See you later, Mr. Dearing!"

And with that she grabbed Madelyn's hand, and they both left.

"Bye, Daddy!" was all Madelyn managed to say before April had guided her out of the apartment.

Mr. Dearing just waved at them, but he still had a very confused look on his face.

* * *

April and Madelyn had just left the apartment building when April let out a sigh of relief. This had been too close. Seriously, she needed to think of a few explanations when it came to her _unusual_ friends. Mr. Dearing already was suspicious enough. She better not contributed to that by not coming up with a believable explanation in time. Maybe Leo had some ideas. Or maybe she should talk to Donnie. Donnie usually had good ideas.

But first, she had to take an awesome picture that showed easiness at its best for the monthly Theme Challenge on the photographer's board. She let her eyes wander and when she and Madelyn were walking down the street, she set eyes on the swings at the playground.

Suddenly, an idea formed in her head and she guided Madelyn over to the playground. Sure, she knew that after the rumors about this creepy guy they better not went there, but she was with Madelyn. She would have a close eye on her. And she was a kunoichi after all. She should be able to take care of the little girl when this guy showed up.

The playground was abandoned, and April could only think that the other kids weren't allowed to play there as long as this creepy guy-matter wasn't settled. But she and Madelyn wouldn't stay long, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Minutes later, Madelyn was sitting on the swing, and April was standing behind her, taking pictures while Madelyn was swinging.

After a while, April thought that she had enough pictures and checked them on the display. The first three pictures looked really good, just what she had had in mind, but then she froze.

There, in the back of the picture she could detect a man, wearing dark clothes and watching Madelyn.

"Madelyn, get off that swing and over here right now!" she told the little girl immediately.

"But April…" Madelyn said.

"You heard me!" April's voice got even more hectic now as she rummaged her bag for her tessen, but couldn't find it right away, because the bag was so overstuffed. She finally gave up completely and emptied the bag on the floor and searched her bag's content, rummaging through books and papers, until she finally set fingers on the cold metal of her tessen. She quickly took it and flicked it open.

Madelyn had finally gotten off the swing and walked over to her, a confused look on her face.

"Behind me!" April ordered as she took a fighting position, facing the direction in which she knew this creepy guy was.

"Show yourself!" she said in a mandatory voice, and then a man walked over to them at a leisurely pace.

"Little girl wants to play with me?" he asked.

April couldn't help, but be surprised by his choice of words.

"No, she doesn't want to play with you, now leave!" she told the man, but he kept approaching them.

"This is my last warning!" April announced as he didn't stop. "Back off!"

The man didn't seem to hear her, he just kept walking towards them at his leisurely pace. He didn't seem tensed or afraid, he didn't even seem to realize that April was there. His eyes were set on Madelyn who he was watching with a broad grin.

"Okay, you asked for it!" April finally said as she tossed her tessen. It hit the man right in the face with its blunt side, and April thought that he would at least stop now as she caught her tessen again to be ready for her next move, but she sure wasn't prepared for what happened now. The man looked at her, a somehow surprised look on his face, and she thought that maybe he would attack her now. But the next moment, there were tears dwelling in the man's eyes and he slumped to the ground, stroking his hurting cheek.

"Ouch, ouch!" he said, and suddenly he buried his face in his hands, and April thought she heard wrongly when sobbing sounds reached her ears.

Was this guy _crying_?

She couldn't help, but look at him surprised. She even blinked a few times, and she sure had no idea what to do now.

In that moment she saw how a woman ran over to them.

"Please don't hurt him!" the woman called out and knelt down beside the man. "Roger, are you okay?"

The man kept on crying, only mumbling, "Little girl doesn't want to play with me!"

"That's okay, sweetie," the woman said and patted his shoulder. "Let me take care of this, okay?"

The man just nodded, his face still buried in his hands.

The woman patted his shoulder once more and then turned to April.

"This is my brother Roger," she told April. "He is mentally retarded. We weren't able to extend our rental contract, so we moved here a few weeks ago. Roger loves playgrounds and playing with children. Back at our old home, people knew that he is harmless and just wants to play, and they were okay with it. I just didn't have time to inform people about him here in this neighborhood yet. Things had been pretty busy with the move. I thought of doing so soon, though. I work from home so I can watch over him, but sometimes when I have to run errands, he manages to sneak away. And he usually goes to playgrounds, that's why I was able to find him rather quickly." She took a deep breath. "I can only assure you that he is harmless and that he doesn't want to hurt anyone. And I am really sorry if he scared you."

She looked at April and gave her what April would call a soothing smile. It was only then that she realized that she still was standing in a fighting position, and she quickly stood up, hiding her tessen behind her back.

"No…no problem," she managed to say. "And I am sorry for the misunderstanding."

April quickly turned her head when she realized that Madelyn went past her. One moment she thought about stopping her, but Madelyn had such an earnest look on her face, that April decided to let her have her way.

Madelyn walked over to Roger and stopped in front of him.

"Hello," she said gently. "I am Madelyn. And who are you?"

The man lowered his hands, his cheeks were still wet from all the tears he had shed, but he at least stopped crying now. He looked at Madelyn for a moment and then laughed happily.

"Roger!" he called out.

"Welcome to the playground, Roger!" Madelyn said and held out her hand.

Roger took her hand and shook it, a bit roughly though, but Madelyn didn't seem to care. She just looked at the still laughing man with a smile.

When April saw that, she couldn't help, but smile herself.


	40. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seeing Mr. Dearing and Madelyn interact as father and daughter, April realizes how much she misses her father. (Pre-“The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman”.)

After the incident with Roger, April had taken Madelyn home. The little girl had been so eager to tell her father what had happened, so the moment he had opened the door, Madelyn had immediately started telling him about it. Mr. Dearing had looked a bit confused as he had found himself facing such a cloud of words, but then he had just smiled at Madelyn and listened.

April could tell he hadn't gotten half of what Madelyn had been talking about, so she had just motioned to him, he should call her once Madelyn was done with her storytelling. Then she had waved at both of them. Madelyn had only interrupted her story for giving her a smiling "Bye, April!" and a quick hug, and then April had left.

When she was at the subway station, April couldn't prevent a sigh from escaping her mouth. Sure, she somehow had gotten used to the little pang in her heart every now and then when she watched Mr. Dearing and Madelyn being just father and daughter, but this didn't mean it hurt any less.

And once again she had been reminded today of how much she missed her father. While Madelyn and she had a lot in common – they both had lost their mothers –, this was the one thing that really separated them. April had lost her father, too. Well, not really lost. He was still alive from what she knew so far. Leo and his brothers made sure to check regularly where he was located, but from what April could tell, there wouldn't be much of a difference if her father was dead.

Except for one thing, of course. She still could get him back which would be totally impossible if he _really_ was dead. But right now, this didn't make her feel any better. Her father was gone, she didn't know if he was okay or not, and she wasn't supposed to see him. It would be too dangerous, well, at least that was what Donnie had told her. Kirby could drag her away again. April was sure, no, she was dead certain that her father would never hurt her, but Donnie had insisted that no-one knew what would happen if his animalistic instincts kicked in. True, no one knew. No one, but April. She knew her father would never hurt her, she just knew. And although she believed that Donnie would agree with her on this feeling, he couldn't help, but see this from a more scientific kind of approach. And this approach said that you should never base a theory on one single incident. Or on feelings.

April sighed again. She really wanted to see her father, and if it only was to catch a glimpse of him to see that he was doing okay.

She was aware that Donnie kept a map of her father's sightings in his lab, although he made sure it was well hidden. But it was worth a try. Maybe she could sneak into his lab sometime soon and look for that map, find out where her father had been seen last, and then just go there and see if she could find him. She didn't need to talk to him, she didn't even need him to know that she was there. All she needed was to see him, to make sure her father was still alive.

* * *

When she arrived at the lair the next afternoon, April instinctively took the path to Donnie's lab when she found the living room empty. If she was lucky, Donnie would be on a break from his work and she could look for that map.

Unfortunately – although she was pretty sure, Donnie would choose the word "fortunately" if he knew anything about her recent plans – she found Donnie bent over his work desk with his back to the door.

She felt a little hope build inside her, when Donnie didn't turn around, so maybe he was too caught up in his work and she still had a chance to look for that map.

But her hopes were immediately ruined when he turned around and flashed her a smile.

"Hi, April!"

"Hi, Donnie!" April greeted him, swallowing her disappointment

_So much for being too caught up in his work._

April couldn't hinder a frown to appear on her face when she set eyes on the beaker Donnie was holding in his one hand. It contained some strange looking ooze, some strange looking _reddish_ ooze. Wasn't mutagen supposed to be some sort of a green-blue glowing kind of thing? Okay, she didn't know for sure that Donnie was working on his number one-priority project aka "creating retromutagen", but it was his number one project, so she had just taken a wild guess.

She approached him casually as she tried to examine the lab for a place where he could have hidden that map without giving him a clue of what she actually was doing here, but if not the ninja or the scientist in Donnie hadn't figured out that she was acting a bit odd, the friend sure had.

He raised a brow. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," April said in what she hoped was a nonchalant voice. "I am just great."

She still tried to eye over the lab's furniture, trying to spot something that would make an awesome hiding place for a map, without moving her eyes too much so Donnie wouldn't realize. The work desk's drawers sure were too obvious, Donnie would never hide it there. She kept this up for a few moments while the frown on Donnie's forehead was growing deeper and deeper, until he finally found it about time to confront April about her weird behavior.

"April," he addressed her.

"That's me!" she said in cheerful tone before she leaned against the work desk.

"Yeah, I know," Donnie said watching her every move cautiously.

"I always knew you're a genius." She flashed him a smile before she continued looking around the room in what she hoped was an unsuspicious way.

And since she didn't seem to attempt to say anything more, Donnie addressed her again.

"April."

"Still me!" was the cheerful response.

"And I still know," Donnie said. "You are acting strange."

"I am?" April replied.

Okay, so he had realized she was acting differently, that didn't mean he had found out about her plans.

"Are you looking for something specific?"

_Damn it!_

"Uhm, yes," she said. "Mikey."

"Mikey?" Donnie repeated disbelievingly.

"That's what I said."

"You are looking for Mikey in my lab in a way as if he was hiding," Donnie summarized. "You two are playing hide and seek or what?"

"Noooooooo," April drawled. "I just tried to think outside the box, you know."

"Okay." The sound of Donnie's voice made it more than clear that he highly doubted what she had just said. "Sorry to disrupt your outside-the-box-thinking, but Mikey isn't here."

"Oh, that's okay," April said as she straightened herself. "I'll try the kitchen next."

"That's not very outside-the-box-y, you know," Donnie told her.

"Well, you gotta know when it's enough," April replied with a shrug before she turned to leave. "Later, Donnie!"

"Bye," was all Donnie managed to say. He still had a deep frown on his face. And it deepened even more now.

What had this all been about?

* * *

On her way to the kitchen April mentally slapped herself for having failed so miserably. Hadn't she learned anything about sneaking yet?

But the moment she entered the kitchen and Mikey, who had been searching something in a kitchen unit, turned around and greeted her with a broad grin, she couldn't help, but reply with a smile.

"What's up, April?" the orange-masked turtle asked.

"Not much," she replied, but then reached for her bag to retrieve the dress Madelyn had given her. "Madelyn asked me to give you this."

Mikey's eyes widened in joy.

"Awesome!" he called out as he ran over to April and took the dress in his hands. "I'm nearly done with Mrs. Sparkling Hair's new outfit, and then I can get started on Madelyn's dress!"

He eyed the dress closely. "Hmmm, that doesn't look too difficult. And I know from Leo she wants a blue-checked dress with a swinging skirt." He grinned at April. "This is going to be great!"

April smiled at him, but then furrowed a brow. "Uhm, where do you think you might get the blue-checked fabric from, by the way?" she asked.

"Oh," Mikey lowered his eyes. He probably hadn't thought of that, but then he looked back at her, grinning again. "Well, you are going to get it for me, just like you did with the fabric for Leo's superhero-costume." The grin faded, and he gave April his best puppy dog eyes. "You don't want Madelyn to be sad, right? And if I don't make this dress for her, she sure would be sad."

April tried her best to resist, but seriously, who could resist _this_ look? "Okay," she gave in with a sigh, but she wondered when exactly Mikey had gotten this good at manipulating people although she wasn't sure if he did that on purpose or just acted intentionally.

"But you know, fabrics are expensive", she said then. "It would be nice if you could make up for it somehow. So if you…"

"No cleaning duty!" Mikey interrupted her. "Leo said that's out of the question!"

"Well, Leo said it is out of the question for _him_ ," April said. "That doesn't mean that this goes automatically for you as well, you know."

"Hmmmm…" Mikey pondered on that for a moment. "I guess you're right."

"Okay, then I'd like you to clean the kitchen in my aunt's apartment when she is running errands on the weekend."

"Understood!" Mikey said with a salute.

April choked a chuckle. It was good to see that no matter how good Mikey had gotten at manipulating people, he still was easily tricked himself.

And that was the moment she had a flash of wit.

"Sooooo," she started with a drawl, "has Leo told you about what happened to the creepy guy at Madelyn's playground?"

"You mean the creepy guy that wasn't creepy at all at the end?" Mikey asked.

April nodded.

"He has," Mikey replied. "I am glad that it turned out so well, and Madelyn can play at the playground without thinking about some crazy dude who might sneak up on her again."

"Yeah, me too," April said, but then lowered her eyes worriedly. "I just hope this other danger would be out of the way soon."

"Other danger? What are you talking about?"

"What are _you_ talking about?" April asked back. "I thought my dad has been spotted close to Madelyn's apartment building. What if he drags her away because he mistakes her for me? She smells a bit like me, I bet. No wonder, considering all the time we spend together."

"No worries, April!" Mikey said with a reassuring smile. "Last time we saw your dad he was close to this defunct futon factory on Fifth. That's like the other end of the city."

_Thanks, Mikey!,_ April thought and swallowed the whoop of joy that tried to fight his way out of her mouth.

She put on a little smile instead. "Oh, that's good to know. I guess I _misheard_ something then."

"No problemo," Mikey said. "Now, could you do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

"Please try to say 'defunct futon factory on Fifth' five times fast," he said.

"Huh?" April's eyes widened in confusion.

"Defunctfutonfactoryonfifth," Mikey said quickly, before he said in a normal voice. "Only five times. I want to know if you can do that. Donnie even refused to try."

"Uhm, okay."

* * *

When April arrived at the defunctfutonfactoryonfifth – heck, she even had to _think_ that fast now! –, she carefully looked around. There was no guarantee her father was still around here somewhere, but she just had to give it a try. She needed to see him, and everything was going to be okay again. Well, a bit more okay than now.

She pressed her back against a wall and peeked around a corner, but the moment she wanted to start moving, someone grabbed her and pulled her back.

"What are you doing here?" an angry voice asked, a voice she knew all too well.

"Donnie?"

"In person," was the response.

He let go of her, but he didn't look away, and April couldn't help, but squirm a bit under his angry stare.

"Now that was an answer to your question," he said. "But you still owe me an answer. What are you doing here?"

"I…I…"

"Don't tell me you tried to think outside the box! Do you have the slightest idea how lucky you are that I figured out what you were trying to do? And I would still be pondering if Mikey hadn't made a stupid comment about the defunct futon factory on Fifth and saying that five times fast!"

April sighed. While it sure had its advantages that Mikey could be tricked so easily, his inability to keep something to himself sure was a problem.

"I…I wanted to see him, okay?!" April hadn't meant to say that in such an angry voice, but somehow the frustration of not having been able to achieve her goal got the better of her.

The angry look on Donnie's face faded as it was his turn to sigh.

"April, we agreed that you stay away from your father," he said gently. "He could drag you away again. It's too dangerous."

"I know that, Donnie!" April mentally scolded herself for not being able to get her angry voice under control. "I just wanted to see him. I needed to see he was being okay with my own eyes. I…I just…" And suddenly the angry tone was gone as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She did her best to blink them back, but failed.

Donnie's eyes widened in shock when he heard her silent sobs.

"April, I…I'm so sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to…"

But before he could go any further, April had wrapped her arms around him, and Donnie gently hugged her back. That was all he could do for her right now. So they stood there for a while until April had shed all the tears she had been able to shed at this moment at this place. She then let go of Donnie and wiped her tear-streaked face clean with her hands.

"Better?" Donnie asked, and April answered with a nod.

"April, I am not going to lie to you and tell you that I know how hard this must be for you, because I don't," he said. "But I can tell you this: I think I have come really close to create a retromutagen, and if it makes you feel any better, you can help me work on it. I'm sorry that there isn't more I can do for you."

"No, that's okay, Donnie," April said with a smile. "That's a lot, actually, and I'd be happy to help you as much as I can. Thank you!"

Donnie returned her smile and then held out his hand. And when she took it he guided her to the next manhole cover.

But a strange feeling made her turn her head before they got there, and then she saw it, just a shadow in the darkness, though, flying away with a flap of his big wings, but she just knew it was her father. He was there, he was okay. And as long as Donnie was working on a retromutagen, there was hope she might be reunited with him again.

The smile on her face grew deeper as she turned back to Donnie and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, choking a chuckle at the dumbfounded look on his face when she did so. Why did he sometimes have to act so weird?

But then she turned serious again, although a warm smile stayed plastered to her face.

Yes, there was hope.


	41. Superheroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Turtle and Turflytle pay Madelyn a visit.  
> (Still pre-"The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman" here.)

Humming to himself, Leo took his superhero-costume from the hook on the wall. April had just called him to tell him that she would be staying at Madelyn's place until later that night. Mr. Dearing had to attend a parent-teacher-conference and someone had to watch over Madelyn in the meantime. So it was the perfect opportunity to see Madelyn – and like he had promised in his latest letter, he was going to wear his superhero-costume. Okay, he hadn't really promised it, he had just said that maybe he would wear it. But now that he really was going to see Madelyn, he felt like doing this. On the other hand it would be a waste of Mikey's handiwork if the costume would just gather dust. It _needed_ to be worn from time to time, and no, this had nothing to do that wearing a superhero-costume felt just awesome.

Pondering over superheroes in general and Mr. Turtle in special, Leo put on the overall and the belt. But before he wrapped the blue fabric around his hands and feet – Mikey still didn't have time to make proper gloves and boots, he had been too busy working on Mrs. Sparkling Hair's new outfit –, Leo hesitated. His fingers carefully touched the cape. Maybe he should put it off. It could get entangled again when he was on his way to Madelyn. But then he slightly shook his head. The cape of his knight-costume had worked just fine without getting him into danger, so maybe he was getting the hang of it. He would give it a try once more.

It was risky, he knew that, traveling over to Madelyn's dressed in a costume that could turn against him – well, the cape could –, but he was willing to take that risk. It was less risky than getting over there with the costume in his bag and get dressed on a rooftop because if someone wanted to attack him, they would sure choose the moment when he was busy getting dressed. That had been the reason why he had decided to put the costume on at the lair. His brothers wouldn't be with him tonight like they had been back when he had taught Billy a lesson, so getting dressed here was the only logical conclusion.

When he was done wrapping the blue fabric around his hands and feet, he couldn't help, but admire once more what a great job Mikey had done. Speaking of Mikey, he needed to talk to him anyway.

And with that Leo left his room.

* * *

When he found Mikey in the living room together with Raph he walked over to them, but before he could address them, Raph raised his voice.

"Geez, what's with the dress-up, Leo?" he asked.

Leo just rolled his eyes. "Madelyn asked me to wear the costume next time we meet."

"You are going to see Madelyn?" Mikey asked quickly. "Wearing your superhero-outfit? That's awesome! So can other superheroes come too? Because…" – his eyes were glistening in anticipation as he threw a smoke bomb to the ground, and when the smoke faded away, Mikey was standing there, wearing his Turflytle-costume – "…that sounds like a job for Turflytle, buzz buzz!"

Leo's and Raph's eyes widened in surprise when they saw that.

"How did you…," Raph started before he cleared his throat, obviously trying not to show his surprise or amazement to Mikey. "Never mind," he cut himself off grumpily.

Leo smirked slightly at this behavior. That was soooooo Raph! But then he turned to Mikey.

"Sorry, Mikey," he told his little brother. "But I guess it's Mr. Turtle only this time."

"Oh." Mikey didn't even try to hide his disappointment as he sadly lowered his eyes and threw another smoke bomb, being back to his normal appearance when the smoke faded.

Leo looked at him sympathetically. But then an idea emerged his head. Well, he had told April that he was coming over to Madelyn's tonight, but he never had said that it would be him alone. And as much as he still was a bit reluctant when it came to sharing Madelyn with his brothers, Mikey's overt display of disappointment that Turflytle wouldn't be joining Mr. Turtle tonight, had melted all his reluctance away in a heartbeat.

"On second thought," he started. "I think that actually could be fun. So if Turflytle still wants to join Mr. Turtle for a rooftop run and a game of Go Fish later at Madelyn's, that would be great."

"Yes!" Mikey called out cheerfully as he threw another smoke bomb to the ground, changing back into his Turflytle-costume. He took a heroic pose when he looked at Leo.

"Turflytle's ready, buzz buzz!"

Raph just shook his head at this.

"You two look ridiculous, you know that?"

But both Leo and Mikey had the greatness to simply ignore him.

"Oh, I almost forgot, buzz buzz!" Mikey called out as he ran over to his room and came back holding Mrs. Sparkling Hair in his one hand. "We have to take Mrs. Sparkling Hair with us, buzz buzz, because she wants to show her new outfit to Madelyn, buzz buzz. And whatever happens, buzz buzz, don't treat her like a damsel in distress, buzz buzz. She hates that, buzz buzz."

"I am pretty sure, Mrs. Sparkling Hair can take care of herself," Leo said. He quickly looked at the doll he had Mikey allowed to keep in his room as long as he was working on her new outfit, over, taking a glance at the nice blue dress she was wearing now, and he thought that Madelyn sure was going to love it.

"You got that right, buzz buzz," Mikey confirmed.

"Well, then, Turflytle," Leo said. "Let's move!"

"Off we go, buzz buzz!" Mikey called out.

Raph had already turned back to his comic book, pretending not to see all this nerdiness around him, but he just couldn't help himself from making a comment when the two of his brothers turned to leave.

"Stuuuuuuuupid," he just mumbled without looking up from his comic book.

And again, his brothers had the greatness to ignore him – or maybe really didn't hear him as they ran over to the turnstiles and left the lair.

* * *

April was sitting at the coffee table in the living room of Mr. Dearing's apartment, doing some homework. Madelyn was seated next to her, but the little girl's eyes were glued to the TV. There was a new "Unicornia"-episode on, and "Watching a 'Unicornia'-episode" was one of the top three on April's mental "Keep Madelyn busy"-list. So the teenage girl had been a little bit relieved when Madelyn had told her about the new episode when she had arrived. It bought her some time to work on her essay for school.

So she was tapping away on her laptop, looking something up in one of the three books lying about on the table every now and then, and except from that just zoning out the unicorns talking and singing on TV. She only registered Madelyn's giggles and gasps when something funny or exciting happened in the show.

The episode was nearing its end, April realized when she looked at the clock, and she hadn't gotten very far with her essay. She pondered of suggesting watching another episode on DVD when her Tphone informed her about an incoming text message with a beep.

She picked up her phone and checked her messages, and a sudden smile appeared on her face.

Well, she knew she could totally can her attempts of keeping on writing her essay now, but it was only due in two days, so she still had some time left. And after being a little sad lately, maybe some fun was just what Dr. Donnie ordered. And this sure was going to be fun.

Well, not exactly Dr. Donnie, she thought – the turtles' genius did his best to comfort her and let her help him in his lab whenever she was around although this "help" was pretty much limited to April watching him work, but it calmed her down a bit, keeping her feelings of missing her father at bay. It was Donnie's way of making her feel better, and it worked. But she was certain that having some fun would raise her spirits even more than helping in Donnie's lab and spending time with Madelyn would. And _Dr._ Donnie sure would agree with her on that.

So with a smile she tucked her Tphone away and walked over to the window to open it.

Madelyn immediately jumped to her feet.

"Is Mr. Turtle coming?" she asked cheerfully.

But before April could answer, someone wearing a cape jumped inside and landed next to April.

With a big grin on his face, Leo stood up, placing his hands on his and pushing his chest out in a heroic pose.

"Did someone say 'Mr. Turtle'?" he asked in a confident voice.

Madelyn was about to run over him, but stopped immediately when a cloud of smoke appeared next to Leo, and when the smoked faded, Mikey was standing there in his Turflytle-outfit.

"Turflytle's here, buzz buzz!" he said with a broad grin.

Madelyn blinked a few times at him.

"Mr. Beam?" she asked then.

"No, Turflytle, buzz buzz!" Mikey said.

Madelyn answered with a giggle. "I know it's you, Mr. Beam."

"Oh no, you don't, buzz buzz!"

This made Madelyn laugh even more.

She then walked over to Leo to give him a hug. After that she examined his costume.

"You did a great job, Mr. Beam," she said appreciatively to Mikey.

"I know," Mikey said, suddenly forgetting about his Turflytle-language, but then he flinched a little, realizing what had just happened, and quickly spoke up again, "I mean…buzz buzz, who is Mr. Beam, buzz buzz?"

Leo just rolled his eyes at that. Maybe bringing Mikey along hadn't been such a great idea after all. But when he watched April from the corner of his eye and realized how she pressed a hand against her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud, he quickly rethought that. Of course he had realized as well that April had been a little bit off color the past few days, although contrary to Donnie, he had no idea what could have caused this. He had intended on asking her about it, but never had found the right time. And to see her now, nearly cracking up because of Mikey's attempt to keep his "secret identity", made him feel a wave of relief washing through him. At least, she was doing better.

At that moment, Madelyn spotted her doll which Mikey had attached to his belt.

"Mrs. Sparkling Hair!" she called out, and Mikey handed her her doll.

The little girl looked at the new outfit of her doll and grinned from ear to ear.

"I knew you were a great designer, Mr. Beam!"

"Thanks," Mikey said in his normal voice, before he took up his Turflytly-language again. "I mean, buzz buzz, who is this Mr. Beam you all keep talking about, buzz buzz? He must be an awesome guy, buzz buzz."

"He is," Madelyn replied with a smile.

"Okay," Leo spoke up. "Who's in for a game of Go Fish?"

"Mememememe!" Madelyn called out, putting her hand up and jumping up and down in joy.

"And me, buzz buzz!" Mikey said.

Leo turned to April. "April, you in?"

The teenage girl glanced over to her laptop. Should she really stop writing on her essay and have a little fun? She had thought of it before, but now, that she really had to make a decision, maybe she should rethink it.

Or maybe not.

She turned back to Leo with a smile. "Sure."

And soon they were all gathered on the floor of the living room, playing Go Fish, although for Mikey, or more precisely _Turflytle_ it was "Go Fish, buzz buzz".

* * *

Later that evening – Leo and Mikey had already left, Madelyn was tucked in, but Mr. Dearing still had not come back home from his parent-teacher-conference – April sat down at the coffee table again, flipping her laptop open. But before she could start writing again, she recalled her evening with Madelyn, Leo, and Mikey. It had been so much fun, and now that she thought of it, she realized how much she had needed that. But being alone again, waiting for Madelyn's father to return, brought back the thoughts about her own father, and she sighed slightly.

She was a lot better than a few days ago, she knew that. She had seen him, okay, only his shadowy figure against the night sky, but still, he had been there. He was okay. He was alive. And Donnie would find a cure. She firmly believed that, she _had to_ believe it. It was all she could do. Not for her, but her father.

At that moment, her Tphone beeped again, and she wondered if Leo or Mikey had forgotten something, but when she checked the message, she realized it was from Donnie.

_I really forged ahead today, and I think I am about to make the breakthrough. So, do you want to join me in the lab tomorrow?_

April didn't have to think long about what to reply.

_You bet._


	42. Mother's Day Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn has a special gift for April.  
> (This chapter starts before "The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman" and ends after it.)

_Dear Madelyn,_

_So I guess you liked Mrs. Sparkling Hair's new outfit? By the way, Mr. Beam, I mean "Turflytle" was so inspired by your admiration of his handiwork, he decided to make one more outfit for Mrs. Sparkling Hair that fits the dress he's making for you. If that's okay for you, of course. So, when he's finished should I bring Mrs. Sparkling Hair along next time as well? Or maybe April can make a little photoshoot with Mrs. Sparkling Hair then. I bet these are going to be some awesome pictures._  
Speaking of awesome pictures, April told me she finished last month's photo challenge second place. And again, it was a picture featuring you. I'm so proud of you!  
Have you thought of the first chapter of our fanfiction yet? I like the idea that Morning Dew and Aurora meet at an exhibition. I bet they are great artists. As for my unicorn, I am not sure what would fit Lorenzo best. Do you think he could be a martial artist? And I really like the idea that Morning Dew is a bit shy at the beginning and doesn't want to make friends, but in the end she, Aurora and Morning Dew are becoming best friends and go on adventures together.  
It was really nice to see you yesterday, Madelyn. And I am really glad you like my superhero-outfit.  
April told me about the guy at the playground. I am so relieved he seems to be nice. Are you going to play with him again when he is around?  
Next time we meet, we can have a little tea party again. And we can play Go Fish afterwards. I really love that game, but it turns out I am not so good at it. You always beat me. And April and Mr. Beam are really great Go Fish-players as well. Maybe you should give me some private lessons before I challenge you three again.  
Now that I think of our next tea party, have you ever tried strawberry tea? April brought some along last time she was at my place, and it tastes really good.  
See you soon, Madelyn!

_Yours,  
Mr. Turtle_

Madelyn smiled at the letter April had given her this morning when she had brought Madelyn to school. Something had been different about April today. She had been so excited, and when Madelyn had asked her what was going on, she had said that she and Dr. Donnie were working on a really interesting science project and she was going to meet him after school. Madelyn had just nodded at that. She knew how great Dr. Donnie was at explaining things, and sure April had to enjoy that, too.

But then the school bell rang and Madelyn put the letter back into her schoolbag.

* * *

"Okay, children," Miss Marriott, the art teacher, said as she glanced around the room. "You all have your blank cards. You can now paint them however you want to. You can use some of the stencils I have prepared or go freehand, whatever suits you best. And we have glitter pencils and stickers as well. Use whatever you want to to make your Mother's Day card look perfect." She flashed a smile at her students. "Okay, you can begin now."

All children in the art room immediately grabbed pencils and stickers and started working – all, except for one.

Madelyn Dearing who was seated in the back of the art room had just lowered her eyes, wrinkling her brows. This took Miss Marriott by surprise, and she frowned at the little girl.

Sure, she knew from Madelyn's father that the little girl had lost her mother when she had been a baby. He had talked to her at open school day last year. But he had told her as well that Madelyn had no problem with making something for Mother's Day. They visited her mother's grave every year, and Madelyn placed whatever she had made there together with some roses. It was their Mother's Day-ritual, and from last year, Miss Marriott remembered that Madelyn had been just as eager as all the other children to finish her Mother's Day card in time. So why did she look so sad now?

Well, there was only one way to find out, and with that Miss Marriott walked over to her.

"Hello, Madelyn," she said gently.

"Hello, Miss Marriott," Madelyn replied without raising her eyes. She kept looking at her blank card, her frown even deepening.

"Is everything okay?" Miss Marriott asked. "Look, if you don't want to make a card this year, that's totally okay. We can think of something else."

Madelyn just shook her head slowly.

"Okay, I see," Miss Marriott said gently. "Well, then let's think of something else, shall we?"

Madelyn shook her head again, this time a little fiercer.

"That's not what I mean," she finally said and turned to look at her teacher. "Miss Marriott, can I make two cards?"

* * *

Later that day, when Madelyn was back home, she decided to continue working on her Mother's Day cards. They had another arts-lesson tomorrow, but she was making two cards, so Miss Marriott had allowed her to take her cards with her and work on them at home. And there was so much work to be done! The card for her mother was half-finished, but the other card was far from that. And Mother's Day was on Sunday!

She was so caught up in her work that she didn't hear her father calling her for dinner.

After his third attempt, Mr. Dearing walked over to her room and popped his head inside after knocking at the door without being asked in.

"Madelyn, did you hear me?" he asked cautiously, but even if his words were gentle, they made Madelyn jump.

"What?" she asked confused and turned to her father.

"Dinner's ready," he said.

"Oh, okay," Madelyn replied, glancing back at the card she had been working on.

Mr. Dearing followed her gaze.

"Is that Mummy's card?" he asked with a warm smile, although mentioning Madelyn's mother still gave his heart a twinge after all these years. He did his best to hide it, though. Madelyn deserved to know as much about her mother as she could. So he had told her stories about her mother and set up their yearly Mother's Day-visit at the grave. Madelyn had never been sad about not having a mother, so he thought that he was doing a pretty good job as a single father. But it didn't help that it hurt him a bit when he talked about her mother. But that was something he kept to himself. As long as Madelyn was happy, he didn't mind this little twinge now and then.

Madelyn nodded. "But it's not finished," she explained.

"But it looks great already," Mr. Dearing said with a smile as he walked over to Madelyn and knelt down next to her.

"Now," he started as he placed one hand gently on her shoulder, "how about you get something in your tummy and finish Mummy's card later?"

Madelyn answered with a nod and got up. But then Mr. Dearing saw the second card lying on her desk.

"For whom is that other card?" he asked curiously.

Madelyn turned to look at the card for a second before she faced her father again, flashing him a grin.

"April!"

* * *

The next day Madelyn was rather pleased with herself when she came home from school. She had been able to finish both cards in her arts-lesson that day. So everything was prepared when April was going to pick her up to go to the playground with her later. Sure, it wasn't Sunday yet, but she thought it would be okay to give April her card sooner. Sunday was reserved for her and her father and their yearly visit of her mother's grave anyway. And April was no mother, so she simply _had to_ get her card on another day than Sunday, she _had to_ get it before Sunday.

There was still some time left before April would show up, so Madelyn decided to write her letter to Mr. Turtle.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Mrs. Sparkling Hair new outfit is so beautiful! And your superhero-outfit is beautiful too. I can't wait to see my new dress, and of course Mr. Beam can make another dress for Mrs. Sparkling Hair. She told me she loves his dresses._  
It was awesome to see you in your superhero-outfit. And I think Mr. Beam looked great too. Did he make his outfit himself? It was nice! And it was funny that he kept saying that he wasn't Mr. Beam, but I know it was him. And "Turflytle" is a funny superhero-name. Did he make it up himself? You said he chose the name for your unicorn. Is he good at this?  
And I loved that he said "buzz buzz" all the time. It was really funny!  
A photo shoot with Mrs. Sparkling Hair will be great! April is such a great photographer! And Mrs. Sparkling Hair loves to be photographed. She loves when everyone looks at her.  
Thank you, Mr. Turtle! I hope April wins the next competition.  
I thought about the first chapter of our fanfiction and like you I like it best when our unicorns meet at an exhibition and when Morning Dew is shy at the beginning. And of course can Lorenzo be a martial artist! How do you want him to meet Morning Dew? I mean he already knows Aurora. Does he like Aurora's photographs? He could go to the exhibition with her then.  
You aren't so bad at playing Go Fish, Mr. Turtle. You just don't win very often. But sure, I can give you some private lessons.  
I don't know when Roger will be at the playground next time. His sister said she is very busy at the moment with the move, but once she is done with that, she and Roger are coming to the playground more often. He is really nice. And playing with him is fun. He understands what I mean. Not all older people do, you know.  
I can't wait to taste strawberry tea! I have to tell my father to buy some. And yes, we must have a tea party next time we meet! I am busy this weekend. Daddy and I are visiting Mummy at the graveyard on Sunday because it is Mother's Day. I made a card for her. And I made one for April too. I know she is not my mother, but I really wanted to make a card for her. And it's a surprise. I so hope she will like her card.  
See you soon, Mr. Turtle!

_Yours,  
Madelyn_

She had just finished writing her letter and put it into the envelope, when there was a knock on the door of her room. Madelyn frowned. She hadn't heard the doorbell, so that couldn't be April.

"Yes?" she asked, and her father entered her room.

"Madelyn," he said, "April just called. She can't come over today."

"Oh." Madelyn just lowered her eyes.

"Oh, Lynnie, don't be sad!" her father said. "Something really wonderful happened. Her father is back! And she was so excited that she even forgot to call earlier."

"That's…okay," Madelyn said, but she folded her arms in front of her and didn't look up when she said that.

"So, do you want you and me to go to the playground instead? Or we can watch 'Unicornia' together? What do you think?"

He flinched when he saw tears glistening in Madelyn's eyes and heard her sob silently.

"Lynnie, don't cry, please!"

"But I…want…to give…April her card!" the little girl gasped out.

"You can give her her card on another day, Lynnie."

Madelyn shook her head fiercely. "Needs to…be…before Sunday!"

Mr. Dearing frowned at this. "Okay, then," he said after a while. "I think I got an idea."

* * *

April was a bit surprised when the doorbell rang. Who could that be? And when she checked through the peephole, her surprise even increased.

"Mr. Dearing?" she asked and quickly opened the door. "Is everything okay?"

But then she sat eyes on Madelyn standing close to her father. She frowned when she found the little girl's eyes red from what she thought must have been crying. "What's wrong?"

"April, we don't want to ruin your reunion with your father, so we won't take long," Mr. Dearing started, "but Madelyn has something for you, and this couldn't wait."

Madelyn nodded fiercely and held a card out to April. The teenage girl knelt down to be at the same level with the little girl and took it.

She frowned when she found said card decorated with hearts, stickers, and a lot of glitter. She opened it and frowned even deeper when she read "Happy Mother's Day, April!" in Madelyn's handwriting.

"Th…thanks," she managed to say.

"I know you aren't my mother, April," Madelyn explained. "But I think Mother's Day is a special day for all women who are important to someone. And you are the most important woman in my life."

April was choked with emotion when she heard Madelyn's little speech, tears were building in her eyes, and she didn't even try to hide them. Instead she just flung her arms around Madelyn, pulled her in her arms, and started crying uncontrollably. It had been an emotional demanding time for her anyway since the night her father had been turned human again, but finding out that Madelyn saw her as someone close to a mother was the final straw.

Madelyn didn't seem to be offended by her tears, on the contrary. She seemed to feel that it was happy tears. So all she did, was hugging her back and patting April's back gently.

"There, there, April," Madelyn said softly. "It's okay."


	43. Happy Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April ponders on her father’s return.  
> This chapter takes place after "The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman", but before "Newtralized!".

April O'Neil did her best to concentrate on the work ahead – in her case writing this essay she had been struggling with for days now. It had been due today, but she had been able to talk her teacher into a deadline extension because of unforeseen circumstances. These circumstances had kept her at home today, officially being sick, but she couldn't be any healthier at the moment or feel any better. Not after what had happened.  
Her father was back.  
  
No, he wasn't only back, he was back for good. He was human again, he was her father again, not some hideous mutant bat that didn't remember much about his human life. Her father was here, and she truly hoped, this time it would last. No, she didn't hope it, she had to believe it.  
  
She had stayed in yesterday as well. There had been so many things she had to take care of first, so many things that were more important than school. She had been so caught up in helping her father to settle in again, to somehow get him back into his old, human life that school had seemed so far away. _Everything_ had seemed so far away.  
  
April thought about the last days, her uneasiness because she had been missing her father so much, Donnie's attempts of making her feel better by letting her help in his lab, her falling asleep in his lab because her help consisted pretty much of just watching him work, Donnie shouting with glee when the mutant cells had turned normal again which had woken her up, and then his announcement that he had finally made it, that he had created retromutagen. She remembered the wave of warmth and joy washing through her body so well when he had told her about this, and she had had no words. Everything had seemed so ordinary compared to what he had achieved. So she had done what had felt right at that moment – pull Donnie into a hug and kiss him on the cheek.  
  
Then she thought about her capture, how Baxter Stockman had dragged her away and how he had tried to make some abstruse theory work which had ended in her falling into a basin of mutagen. She remembered her fear back then all too well. She hadn't thought about what effects the mutagen would have on her in the first place. All she had been able to think had been, "NO!" But when she had been sinking, another thought had taken over. There had been no pain, and from what she had witnessed from her father, mutating actually hurt a lot, so something had been different. And after that another thought had filled her brain completely.  
  
 _I'm gonna drown!_  
  
She still had been tied up, and none of her friends would have been able to go after her, rescue her. It had been mutagen after all, and although it hadn't caused her any pain, didn't mean it wouldn't affect her friends. Most of them were mutants already, the rest was humans, and none of them should ever get in contact with mutagen (again).  
  
So she had prepared herself. The mutagen wouldn't have caused a mutation on her, agreed, but it still was liquid that could fill her lungs, that could block away the air. She still could drown. And at that moment she had been sure she would.  
  
 _I'm gonna die!_  
  
But then the ropes that had been wrapped around her had somehow melted away. She had no idea how that was even possible. Her clothes hadn't been affected by the mutagen. But maybe it had something to do with the fact that she had been wearing these clothes for a longer time, that they had a lot of her DNA on them. This was the most logical explanation she had been able to come up with so far. But back then, she couldn't have cared less about logic. All she had cared about was the fact that the ropes were gone, that she had been set free again, that she was _not_ going to die!  
  
And so she had swum to the surface, climbed out of the basin by herself, and then the mutagen had just dripped off of her and not left any residues. She knew she should have been able to say something smart or relieved, but having been able to escape death so closely, had somehow stopped her brain from working properly. Her fear had somehow changed into anger, anger that she had been left to face this alone. She knew that Donnie had done all in his power to save her, he just hadn't been able to. But that didn't make her anger go away, and so she had just snapped at him about his _nice catch_. But that said, her anger had melted away immediately. And she knew just as well that Donnie wouldn't take it to heart. He had been so relieved to find her unharmed, she wasn't even sure if he had heard her at all. The scientist in him had immediately kicked in, providing her with an explanation why the mutagen didn't have any effect on her.  
  
If it hadn't been for her former anger, she would have just laughed or at least amusedly shaken her head at this. Instead of just being happy that she was okay, he had had to make up a scientific explanation to what had happened. That was sooooooooo Donnie! And she loved him for this. Well, as a friend, you know.  
  
When they had been able to track down her father, they had been so close to losing their last dose of retromutagen, she had been so close, too close, of losing her father again. So she had simply reacted. She hadn't thought much, just done _something_.  
  
Okay, she had had to agree with Casey afterward that it had been a little weird to ride on her father's back, but right then, it had just felt like the right thing to do. Just like it had been to direct her father under the falling drops of retromutagen when the canister had burst on that street lamp.  
  
She still had absolutely no idea how this had worked. Donnie had been so sure that all the retromutagen in that canister was needed to un-mutate a mutant and turn him human again. So why had been a drop of it enough to turn her father back? She sure had to talk to Donnie about it anytime soon. As for now, her own made-up, most logical explanation was that it had something to do with her psychic powers. All her thoughts had been concentrated on turning her father back, and she knew that her powers affected the Kraang or other Kraang-y stuff. It had been like this back at TCRI when she had been captured and Raph had tried to save her. All she had been able to think when the Kraang had grabbed him was that they had to set him free again, that the Kraang had to be stopped. And they had been stopped. And maybe something like this had happened with the retromutagen that still was Kraang-y stuff after all, as well.  
  
This was what she had come up with so far. It wasn't Dr. Donnie-approved, though.  
  
Speaking of Donnie, when after all this time she had set eyes on her father's human face again, all she had been to do to thank Donnie was to hug and kiss him once more. He had so deserved it!  
  
From that moment on when she had known for sure that she had her father back, everything had been so much easier. Sure, getting him to her aunt's apartment without causing too much attention although he was naked under this blanket, sure had been a challenge, but they had managed. And when they had arrived at her aunt's, she hadn't really been able to think of an explanation why her father was back all of a sudden, so all she had told her aunt was exactly that.  
  
 _Dad's back!_  
  
And her father had looked so miserable in his blanket that her aunt hadn't asked any further questions. Maybe she never would. Her aunt was the kind of person that never pushed anyone into telling things. She simply waited for people to come to her and tell her whenever they felt like it. And maybe, one day, April would be able to tell her the truth. As for now, April was just happy that she had one person less to deal with.  
  
She had spent yesterday to help her father settle in in their old apartment again and started to move her own stuff there. They still had to deal with her father's employer. Maybe the explanation April had made up some time ago and had hinted at Kirby's boss would work here best – that her father had been kidnapped by a street gang. Again.  
  
After his first capture and the fact that no one at the police had believed her story about alien brains in robot bodies, this had been the closest thing to the truth – or a version of the truth she could live with.  
  
And she was confident that it would work for her father's boss again like it had worked the first time. Sure, he would be wondering how a man could be kidnapped by a street gang twice in such a short time, but as long as he didn't ask too many questions, April was fine with it. And so was her father. By the way, they would go to the police tomorrow anyway, so April could test her version of the truth before they had to tell Kirby's boss about it.  
  
With a sigh April turned back to her laptop screen, realizing that she had been zoned out for way too long now. But she couldn't help it. What had happened in the past days was just so much to process.  
  
Her eyes wandered back to the couch at which she had a good view from the dining table where she was seated in front of her laptop. Well, the couch wasn't the important thing, but who was lying on it. She couldn't help, but smile when she saw her father's sleeping form. To know he was there, to hear him breathe, to actually see him, to be able to talk to him if she wanted to, nearly made her cry, although it would have been happy tears. But she shook her head firmly to fight the tears building in her eyes back. She only had shed a few happy tears so far, and she wanted to keep it that way. She didn't want to ruin any of her time with her father with tears, she had promised herself that.  
  
She literally jumped to her feet when the doorbell rang. Running out of the room as quickly and silently as possible, making sure her father was still asleep on the way, she rushed to the door, frowning deeply when she realized that it was Mr. Dearing outside. Had something happened to Madelyn?  
  
But when she opened the door and she found Madelyn with her father, she choked a sigh of relief.  
  
She listened to Mr. Dearing telling her that Madelyn had something for her and turned to the little girl.  
  
And when she realized that it was a Mother's Day card Madelyn had given her, when Madelyn told her that she was the closest to a mother she had, April finally lost her fight to the happy tears. All of them that had built up in her eyes, that she had blinked away for hours now, simply broke free, and she didn't care any longer. It was happy tears after all, and Madelyn understood right away.  
  
So when Mr. Dearing and Madelyn left again, April walked back into the living room and found her father sitting on the couch awake. She frowned a bit at this. Before his time with the Kraang and before being a mutant bat, he had been such a tight sleeper that nearly nothing could have woken him up. That he was a light sleeper now, reminded April of what he had been going through.  
  
But her father just smiled at her, and that was the moment she teared up again.  
  
 _No more fighting back of happy tears!_ , she told herself.  
  
And with that she ran over to her father and flung her arms around him, burying her face on his chest and crying all the tears that she had left.  
  
"April, dear, what's wrong?" Kirby asked worriedly as he hugged her back and gently stroked her head.  
  
"N…nothing, Dad," she managed to say between sobs. "It's…okay. Those are happy tears!"


	44. Meet Casey Jones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April realizes that she has neglected her friends lately because of her father’s return.  
> This chapter takes place right after "Newtralized!" and gives a little explanation where April might have been during that episode.

April was seated cross-legged on one of the park benches at the playground, her biology book on her thighs. She marked a few words in the passage she had been reading with her yellow highlighter before she raised her eyes and glanced over to the sandpit where Madelyn was playing with her sand toys. April let her eyes wander over her surroundings. Ever since the incidence with Roger she was very cautious when it came to that playground. Just because Roger had actually turned out to be no threat to Madelyn, didn't mean there couldn't be any other strange guys hanging around, but luckily, she couldn't spot anyone suspicious. Well, luckily for _them_ , of course.

She retrieved her Tphone from her messenger bag which was lying around on the bench next to her and watched at the clock, realizing that not as much time as she had thought had passed. Amazing how time slowed down when you thought you should be somewhere else.

Not that she didn't want to be here with Madelyn, it was just that she thought, she _should_ be with her father right now. A few days had passed since he had been turned back, and after the most urgent things had been taken care of, April had reluctantly started to go to school again, although leaving her father alone really was something she was afraid of. So right after school she immediately went back home, always panicking at the door that her father could be gone again. She knew that it was ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. Her panic only faded away when she set eyes on him.

She knew she had been neglecting her friends lately. She hadn't showed up in the lair ever since her father's return, and at school her eyes were glued to her Tphone whenever she had the opportunity, checking if her father might have been trying to reach her.

Well, except for quickly handing Casey Madelyn's latest letter to Leo two days ago and telling him that he should give it to Leo today, that Leo would know what to do with it and that he under no circumstances was allowed to read it. She had found Madelyn's letter in the mailbox and was sure that Mr. Dearing and Madelyn must have put it there when they had left after bringing her her card. They sure had forgotten about it after she had burst into tears that evening, and it was okay. But she had had no idea how to give the letter to Leo, so she had decided to let Casey do this. If he had had any complaints about it, April hadn't given him time to point them out because she had been on her way to her biology class. She felt a little bad for just telling him what to do, but she had no time to do it herself. And he could at least do this for her after her tutoring had brought him better grades in trigonometry. So all she had gotten from Casey in response was a confused nod. He knew about Leo and Madelyn writing letters to each other, so she thought he must have figured out what this had been about.

Mr. Dearing had called her yesterday and told her how sad Madelyn was that April had canceled another of their photographer's walks, so that April had at least agreed to go to the playground with her today. It was no coincidence that she had chosen today's afternoon. Her father had a meeting at his former workplace, talking to his boss about his reemployment. So being forced of not seeing her father for a while, April had agreed to go to the playground with Madelyn. Sure, she could have stayed at home, but that would have been even worse. She would totally have lost it at home, thinking about worst case-scenarios all the time. So maybe a little Madelyn was all she needed.

And it had turned out quite well so far. Madelyn had been so utterly happy to see her again, that April couldn't help, but feel a pang of guilt that she turned the little darling down so often in the past days. But the guilt was pretty much replaced by happiness to be with Madelyn again.

Thinking of her other friends, though, April felt another pang of guilt. Casey had even texted her this afternoon when she had simply run past him on her way home from school and hadn't even stopped when she had said a quick "Hi" to him. She wasn't even sure why she had been able to do something with Madelyn today instead of visiting the lair. Sure, Madelyn's sadness was one thing she couldn't quite ignore, but she knew that wasn't the only reason. She still could visit the lair when she had brought Madelyn home, knowing that her father's meeting would last till the evening. But somehow, she couldn't. Something prevented her from doing that, and she couldn't quite put her finger on what it really was. No, that was a lie. She knew what this was all about, she just refused to think about it.

She had quickly replied to Casey's text message earlier, but hadn't heard back from him yet. Maybe he was mad. She couldn't even blame him.

So she was even more surprised when she did another of her "scanning her surrounding"-glances when she found said teenage boy approaching her.

"Casey?" she asked surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Excuse me?" he said when he had reached the bench she was seated on and came to a stand next to her. "Do we know each other?"

April lowered her eyes guiltily. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Oh no, no!" Casey added quickly. "Don't be sad, I was just joking!"

"You were not," April replied as she looked at him. "Not completely."

Casey pondered about that for a moment. "Yeah, maybe," he said. "But I didn't mean to…well, you know…" He stopped and let out a deep breath. "Look, Red, you have us all worried a bit, you know."

April flinched a bit at that.

"Irma's complainin' about you missing our learning sessions, you nearly run me over on your way home, you didn't show up in the lair recently," he said. "That's…that's just not you, Red."

"But you know, my father…"

"Don't get me wrong!" Casey interrupted her quickly. "We're all happy that your father's back and so and we all understand you wanna spend time with him, even Irma does, although she had to give me a fifteen minutes-speech about the importance of having a person you can relate to when you're growing up before she came to the point that she gets where you're comin' from. It's just that it's…different without you around."

He paused for a moment.

"I mean, you even missed how I took down that new Kraang-weapon," – he straightened up into a heroic pose – "heck, you _really_ missed 'Casey Jones saves the day'! Seriously, April, how could you miss something awesome like that?"

April had to choke a giggle at his sudden change in appearance and his choice of words, trying so hard to make this whole topic not sound so serious.

"Besides, after you told me in your text that you were with Madelyn, I really had to ask Leo where this Madelyn lives because I wanted to talk to you, and he of course grasped at the opportunity to grab me as his mailman, just like you've done two days ago." And with that he retrieved a green letter from his pocket. "He said you know what to do with that."

"I do," April said as she took the letter. "And I am sorry for letting you all down for so long, I really am. It's just that…I feel bad when I leave my father alone."

"So you're feelin' bad right now?" Casey asked.

"A bit, yes, although I feel bad about neglecting my friends and Madelyn so much, too. I just agreed to meet Madelyn because my father has a meeting with his boss right now."

"You know you could still show up at the lair?"

April raised a brow. What was it that Casey repeated what she had been thinking just a few minutes ago?

"I know," she said then. "But I am not sure if I can."

"Oh, it's really easy," Casey said. "Actually, you just climb down a manhole cover, walk through the sewers' tunnels, and tadaaaaaaa! You're there!"

"That's not what I meant," April replied in a serious voice although Casey's joke made a small smile appear on her face.

"I know."

She thought about why it didn't feel right at the moment to see her mutant friends and then looked back at Casey. Well, she could at least let him know what she had figured out.

"It's just that I want to keep my life a bit more normal at the moment. And this means no mutants. I really miss the guys, but right now, this feels like the right thing to do."

Casey nodded although the confused look on his face that he tried to hide, showed that he couldn't understand her completely.

"So what you wan' me to tell the others?"

"Tell them that I want to spend as much time as possible with my father and that I'll be back soon," April said. "And when they ask why I am meeting with Madelyn then, let them know she had one of her tantrums when I refused to show up. They'll understand. Well, Leo will."

She felt a bit bad of using Madelyn as an excuse, but it seemed to be the safest thing to do without hurting her friends' feelings.

"Will do," Casey replied with a determined nod.

April then looked at the time on her Tphone once more and realized it was time to bring Madelyn home anyway. But when she glanced over to Madelyn she was a bit surprised to find her staring at her and Casey.

"Madelyn, time to go!" she called for her, and Madelyn just nodded, gathered her sand toys and walked over to them, all the time looking at Casey suspiciously.

April remembered this as something Madelyn did when she was being shy.

"Ready to go?" she asked when Madelyn had reached them, and when the little girl nodded in reply, but without looking away from Casey, April put her book back into her messenger bag and put the strap around her shoulder.

When she looked at Casey, April was surprised to realize that he met Madelyn's stare uneasily.

"Uhm..hi, I'm Casey Jones," he introduced himself.

"I am Madelyn Dearing," Madelyn said.

"Casey, are you being nervous?" April managed to whisper to him.

"I can't help it!" Casey whispered back. "She looks so angry!"

"For someone who has a little sister, you act pretty strange."

"That's not my little sister, that's a little girl!"

April shook her head amusedly as she took Madelyn's hand and the two of them started walking back to the apartment building.

"Bye, Casey Jones!" Madelyn said.

"See you soon, Casey!" April called out to him.

"Yeah, _soon_!" he replied, emphasizing the word.

April startled a bit at this, but then looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Yes, Casey," she said confidently. "Soon."

* * *

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I am going to tell Mr. Beam that Mrs. Sparkling Hair likes his dresses. I think she hasn't told him yet. Or should I let her do this herself?_  
By the way, is it okay if Mrs. Sparkling Hair is staying with Mr. Beam every now and then? He likes spending time with her. I think he has realized that she is really good at cheering people up and that's one of the reasons he likes to have her around more often. Mr. Beam usually is very cheerful and tries to cheer us up when we are a little sad. So I guess he needs someone that cheers him up on the rare occasions when he is feeling down. If that's okay for you and Mrs. Sparkling Hair, of course.  
Yes, Turflytle is really funny, and he is a good superhero as well.  
Actually, Mr. Beam is our naming-things-expert. Whenever we have to name something, it is him who comes up with the perfect name. Well, except for one time when Dr. Donnie named something without asking Mr. Beam for help. Mr. Beam was really angry about this although the name Dr. Donnie had picked, fitted pretty well. But naming things is one of Mr. Beam's hobbies.  
I will tell April about the photo shoot next time she is at my place. Did she mention anything to you about the recent competition? I haven't seen her in days, so I couldn't ask her yet myself.  
Okay, Lorenzo is a martial artist, then. And I think he and Aurora could be childhood friends. He really likes her photographs, so he is accompanying her to the exhibition. And there they meet Morning Dew.  
Thanks for wanting to give me private lessons in playing Go Fish. I hope we can start this soon.  
I am really glad you and Roger get along so well and that he understands you. It is awesome to have someone who understands what you mean.  
Did April like her card? I bet she loved it! I wanted to ask her about it but she hasn't been at my place for days now. She is really busy now that her father has returned. I don't know if you've heard about it, but he is back, and April is so happy about it. And I am happy for her. It's great that her father is back.  
Have you tasted strawberry tea yet? 

_Yours,  
Mr. Turtle_


	45. Single Fathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a talk with Madelyn, April finally realizes how much she misses her friends.

April looked to the door and strained her ears although she knew it was of no use. Even though she had left the door ajar, there was no chance she could overhear the conversation between her father and Mr. Dearing. She heaved a sigh and turned back to Madelyn who was sitting on the floor opposite her, holding a hand of cards. The little girl looked at her with a frown.

"Yes?" April asked.

"Your turn," Madelyn replied.

"Oh, right," April said. "Do you have any sevens?"

Madelyn shook her head with a giggle. "Go fish!"

"Right," April said, forcing herself to smile as she drew a card.

But she couldn't help that her thoughts immediately wandered back to her father and Mr. Dearing. Luckily, she heard Madelyn ask her for any twos and mumbled a "Go fish!", but that was more automatically.

She just couldn't get herself to concentrate on that game while her father and Mr. Dearing had a little chat.

Kirby had asked her yesterday if maybe they could invite Mr. Dearing and Madelyn over for dinner because he really wanted to meet the little girl that had grown dear to April's heart during his absence. April had agreed immediately, thinking that this would sure contribute to her plan of having a normal life for a few days before returning to the mutant part of her life.

Her father and she hadn't even really talked about their mutant friends so far, because April wanted her father to bring this matter up, and she still had no idea how to tell him that she was partly mutant herself. That would be a shock, and she was afraid of his reaction. Okay, he had been a mutant for some time himself, but he couldn't remember a lot of being a mutant bat, and April didn't want him to remember anything frightening, so she kept it that way, at least for now. They could talk about this when her father had settled in completely.

After all, the talk with his former boss had gone pretty well, and he was going to start working at his old job in two weeks.

So things were pretty good on the "normal life"-end.

Her plan was to keep it like that for a few days longer.

She had told her father that Mr. Dearing didn't know anything about the turtles or mutants at all, that only Madelyn knew the turtles. That had been her first mention of her mutant friends in days, and that wasn't much. She then had told her father that he should stick to their "kidnapped by street gang"-version of the story about his absence. Her father had agreed, but now that she wasn't with him, she was a little afraid that their story could crumble a bit. He had done great with his former boss, but could he keep this up when he wasn't in his professional mode?

Dinner had passed great, but when they had finished their meal, Mr. Dearing and Kirby had sent the two girls to April's room, telling them they should play nicely while they did the dishes and prepared the dessert. Madelyn had agreed immediately, but April, having a bit more experience with this, had grown suspicious, knowing that this was the nice way of telling them that the adults had important things to talk about that the children weren't allowed to hear about. Mr. Dearing only knew that her father had been gone, what if he wanted to know what had happened and wasn't pleased by the "kidnapped by street gang"-story? Or what if he was thinking that her father had left her just like that without a real reason and was giving Kirby a hard time right now because of his reckless behavior?

April's thoughts were racing, until Madelyn addressed her again.

"April!"

The urgent tone of her voice made April realize that Madelyn must have addressed her more than once.

"Y-yes?"

Madelyn sighed. "If you don't want to play Go Fish, why don't you tell me?"

"But I _do_ want to play Go Fish!" April insisted, earning a piercing glance from Madelyn. "No, it's not that I _don't_ want to play," she tried to explain. "It's just that I am a bit distracted. There are so many things I have to think about right now. I'm sorry."

"No, that's okay", Madelyn said and put her cards aside. "I think I know what's going on."

"You do?" April raised a brow.

"Yes." Madelyn nodded. "You miss Mr. Turtle, right?"

"What?"

"Well, he told me in his latest letter that you haven't been at his place in days," Madelyn explained. "I think you were too busy because of your Daddy. But I think he is sad. And now that I look at you, I think you miss him too. And he said that Mr. Beam needs Mrs. Sparkling Hair to cheer him up, so I think Mr. Beam and the others miss you too."

And just like that, her mutant friends had made their way back into her life. When Madelyn mentioned them in her innocent voice, presuming that they missed her, April felt a pang in her heart, and she finally realized that she missed them just as much.

For days now she had refused to think about the turtles, although she owed them so much, for days now, she had struggled to keep her life normal, but now the scales fell from her eyes with the innocent words of a little girl. She did miss her friends. A lot. She realized just now, how much. And her life wasn't normal, it had been many years ago, but now that she thought of it, maybe not even then. She was no normal teenager, she was partly mutant, partly alien, partly human, but she was and she was always going to be one-hundred percent hers.

_I am April O'Neil, and I miss my friends._

"Yes, Madelyn," she said then, as the full realization of her thoughts kicked in. "I miss Mr. Turtle and the others."

"So why don't you just go see them?"

April thought about it. Pretending to have a normal life just didn't feel right any longer. Yes, her life was partly normal, but the other part was extremely _special_. And she was allowed to live that special part of her life just like she was allowed to live a normal life.

"You know what, Madelyn? I think I should do that," she said with a warm smile.

"Okay." Madelyn beamed at her. "They'll be happy to see you."

"Now, shall we continue?"

Madelyn thought about it for a moment. "Just one more question," she said then.

"Yes?"

"How did Mr. Turtle receive my letters when you weren't at his place?"

"I asked a friend to do this." April explained, although she knew pretty well that "forced" was more like it.

"Casey Jones?" Madelyn asked further, and April nodded.

"Now that makes sense," Madelyn continued. "I saw him give you a green envelope."

"I hope that's okay."

"It is." Madelyn looked April over for a moment. "Is Casey Jones your boyfriend?"

"No!" April said, a bit too fiercely. "No," she added in a calmer voice. "He's a friend."

"I see."

But now that April thought of it, using dates with Casey as an excuse when she wanted to visit her mutant friends opened up new possibilities. It would make a lot more sense than having to think of something new every time. And Casey wouldn't mind. He was the one who kept talking about dates although they had never been on a date before and April didn't even think about going out with him, at least not at the moment. But if someone asked where she was going, she could say she was meeting Casey on a date, and that would be a lot less suspicious than when she just answered, "Out." She would try that next time she had to make up an excuse.

Madelyn picked up her cards.

"I think it's your turn," April said to her, and Madelyn answered with a nod. And pretty soon they were in the middle of playing Go Fish again, and this time April really was paying attention.

* * *

"I am really glad our daughters get along so well," Mr. Dearing said as he helped Kirby in the kitchen.

"Me too," Kirby said, getting the ice cream out of the fridge. "I hope you and Madelyn like strawberry ice cream.

"We do," Mr. Dearing replied, but then he frowned as he watched Kirby putting several scoops in four ice cream bowls. He really wanted to ask Kirby something, but he had no idea how to bring this topic up. He was pretty sure that it was a tricky topic, but he _had to_ ask Kirby about it.

"So…you…uhm…are back," he said hesitantly.

Kirby nodded. "Luckily, yes."

"May I…uhm…ask what happened? April only mentioned that you were gone. If that's okay for you, I mean."

Kirby looked up from the ice cream for moment, mustering Mr. Dearing, before he turned back. He remembered that April had told him that he didn't know anything about mutants, and Kirby himself still couldn't remember much of his time as a mutant, everything from that time was so blurry that it almost seemed like a dream. A bad dream, though, but still a dream.

"I got kidnapped by a street gang," he said. "I have no idea why they had picked me, because they never demanded ransom, and I can't remember much from the time I was with them. So I can only guess that what I was going through during my capture was rather…bad and my subconscious decided to lock these memories away. It's a mechanism of self-protection. As a psychologist I've heard about it many times, I just never thought that I would undergo it one day myself. Maybe my memories will come back eventually, maybe they won't. Either way, I'm just happy I'm back."

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" Mr. Dearing said sympathetically. "That's terrible. I had…I had no idea."

"No need to be sorry," Kirby said as he turned back to Mr. Dearing. "You couldn't have known."

"But still, it's terrible," Mr. Dearing insisted. "If you ever need any help, just let me know, okay?" A little smile appeared on his face when he added, "After all, us single fathers have to stick together."

"Thank you, Mr. Dearing." Kirby returned the smile.

"Joseph, please."

"Kirby."

And with that they picked up the four ice cream bowls and the spoons and walked over to the dining table in the living room, calling for their daughters that dessert was ready.

* * *

When Madelyn and her father had left, April thought that it was time to get the talk with her father over. She sat down on the couch next to him and waited until he had turned to face her. She then took a deep breath.

"Dad, I wondered if it was okay for you if I visit the guys tonight." She looked at him expectantly. "Just for an hour or so!" she added quickly when she saw her father wrinkle his forehead a little.

"April," – her father took her hand – "you can visit your friends whenever you want to. Without them, we both would still be prisoners of the Kraang or maybe not even alive any longer. We owe them a lot."

April thought about it. She still couldn't help to feel a little pang when she thought that the turtles had mutated her father by accident, but that didn't last long. It was soon replaced by a warm feeling when she remembered what they had been going through to get her father back in the end.

"Actually, I was wondering when you would stop your 'normal life'-performance," Kirby said then with a light chuckle.

"You realized?" April's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Of course I did! I am your father, and I know you. And for days now you tiptoed around the mutant topic as if you were afraid chaos would break loose if you ever mentioned the m-word." He chuckled a little louder now, giving April's hand a little squeeze. "It's okay, dear. Your mutant friends are part of our life now."

"But your nightmares, Dad! I know you have them again." She lowered her eyes.

"They are part of my life now, at least for a little while until I find a way to deal with them."

April shook her head and then looked at her father again. "No, Dad, they're part of _our_ life. Your nightmares concern me as much as they concern you."

"And knowing that will make it a lot easier to deal with them tonight." He gave his daughter a warm smile which she returned. "And now you better get going. Send them my regards."

April replied with a nod and then got to her feet.

"And April," Kirby stopped her before she could start moving, making her turn back to him in surprise. "Whatever you do, wherever you go, I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere."

And just like that Kirby had made her last fear fade away. She looked at her father, feeling a familiar prickle in her eyes. And then she just threw herself at him. Kirby caught her in his arms, holding her tight as if he would never let go of her again.

* * *

The four brothers were gathered in the living room when April entered the lair. The moment she passed the turnstiles, four pairs of eyes were immediately on her.

"Hi, guys!" she said with an insecure smile. "How're you doing?"

"April!" Mikey called out and before April had a chance to react the youngest turtle had flung his arms around her and squeezed her. "You're back! Oh, I am so happy, I could crush you!"

"Squeeze a little harder and that could totally happen!" April said breathlessly.

Mikey immediately let go of her. "Sorry!" he said while rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

April gave him a warm smile. "It's okay."

"Is everything okay with your father?" Donnie asked cautiously.

"Of course!" April replied. "He's doing fine. I just thought I could spend a little time with my friends."

"Well then, we're watching a Super Robo Mecha Force Five!-re-run, if that's okay for you," Donnie explained.

"It totally is," April said with a smile, placing her hand on Donnie's shoulder just for a moment, which made him blush slightly.

And soon they were all seated in front of the TV again.

April retrieved Madelyn's latest letter from her messenger back and pushed it towards Leo who was sitting next to her. Leo took it with a smile, touching April's hand slightly when he did so.

"I'm glad you're back," he whispered to her.

"Me too," April said with a smile. "Me too."


	46. Wise Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo thinks about April’s return and how he and his brothers have dealt with her absence.

Leo fished out Madelyn's latest letter of the drawer of his bedside table. He wanted to reread it before he wrote his reply. He had read it two days ago, but due to do certain circumstances he hadn't had time to write his reply yet.

And one of these certain circumstances was April's return from her exile that she had chosen herself after her father's return. She had joined them at their "Super Robo Mecha Force Five!"-marathon last night and they had only interrupted it when they had seen her home, but as soon as they had been back, they had immediately continued their marathon.

Leo chuckled a bit as he thought of how April had told them that it was time to go, and all four of them had immediately jumped to their feet and insisted that they would bring her. It had been a sign of how much they had missed her. They all had, even though Raph would never admit it, but Leo could tell from the concern that had flickered in Raph's eyes just for a moment when they had walked through the sewers' tunnel to bring April to the safest manhole cover that was next to her apartment building. Raph was so good in hiding his emotions that it had become some sort of a sport for Leo to not miss the few occasions when he showed some of them. And over the years, Leo had become so good at predicting them that he seldom missed when there was one of these flickers in Raph's eyes that gave his younger brother away. Everyone else might have missed it, but Leo knew what it meant.

He himself had been more than glad when April had finally shown up in the lair again.

Of course, he understood that her father had been and sure still was a priority to her and maybe forever will be. And Kirby still needed to settle in his human life. And there was nothing he and his brothers could do to help April here. They couldn't do anything human-y, so Leo had told his brothers they should leave April alone for a little while to give her all the time she needed to spend with her father until she was ready to come back to them on her own.

And then he had nearly broken that rule himself when he had written his reply to Madelyn's letter, which a very annoyed Casey had handed to him the other day, but then he had remembered that he could give his letter to Casey, too. After all, he and April were at the same school. He should have been able to give the letter to April. Of course Casey had complained about being demoted to a mailman, but luckily for Leo, Casey had no idea how easy it was to make Leo take over cleaning duties when it came to Madelyn. So the complaints had been all he had gotten from Casey because of this. But now that April was back for good, Casey was off the hook anyway.

Donnie had suffered a lot from April's absence. Leo could only guess that his genius brother had thought that un-mutating her father would bring him and April closer together. Not that he had created a retromutagen just because of this. Leo knew how important it had been for Donnie to achieve this. It had been his top priority, not only for un-mutating Kirby, but helping sensei and all the other mutants out there as well. Donnie had been shocked when they had lost the dose of retromutagen that had been meant for Splinter. And it had taken a few moments for him to understand when Splinter had told them that it wasn't important for him to be human again. Being with them, his sons, was more important than anything else.

And now that Leo thought about it, what would his sensei gain if he was human again, anyway? Sure, he would be able to go to the surface, to do some real grocery shopping, but except from that, not much. He couldn't get a job, at least not at the moment, when Shredder was still on his heels, trying to find the perfect time to get rid of his former best friend and now lethal enemy. Being human again was no option for Splinter. At least not now. But maybe, one day that would change. Or maybe, one day, mutants wouldn't have to hide any longer.

But Leo quickly shook this thought off. This was wishful thinking and he better got rid of it before it could settle down in his brain for longer.

He forced himself to think of something else, so his thoughts wandered back to Donnie and how his brother had dealt with April's absence. Of course, Donnie had had his problems with Leo's rule of leaving April alone for a little while so she could spend time with her father, but he had done pretty well, and the new Kraang-weapon they had had to deal with just a little time ago sure had contributed to distracting Donnie from missing April.

However, the moment April had found her way back into their life, Donnie couldn't have been any happier. And he called her very often since, being all too happy to be able to talk to her again – and going a little bit lovey-dovey for that matter. But that was okay for Leo as long as it didn't get too annoying.

But the one who had really suffered about April neglecting them for a little while had been Mikey. While he somehow had understood that April had left them after they had accidentally mutated her father, he wasn't able to cope with the situation that April's father was back, that April was happy, but she still didn't want to be with her friends. He had followed Leo's order of leaving April alone and give her all the time she needed to settle into the new situation, though, but that hadn't meant that he had been fine with it. April was happy, April had her father back, and therefore April should _love_ to be with her friends. That had been Mikey's thoughts on this matter. And although he hadn't told anyone about it, Leo had been able to hear him nonetheless. After all, Mikey's sad face, his eyes that looked over to the turnstiles every now and then, had spoken volumes.

Leo had felt really bad for his baby brother. And he had tried to explain the whole situation to Michelangelo, and he was pretty sure, Mikey had understood it somewhere in his head, but his heart had refused to follow.

Leo had just realized how sad his baby brother actually had been when he had caught him sitting on his bed with his teddy bear, letting the little stuffed animal dance, but the sad look on Mikey's face had shown more than clearly that he wasn't having any fun.

Leo had choked a sigh then and asked Mikey if he wanted to look after Mrs. Sparkling Hair for a little while. And he had told him that Madelyn was so curious to finally see the dress he was making for her and that she had told him how much Mrs. Sparkling Hair liked his dresses. He had read that in Madelyn's latest letter, he remembered that. This had cheered Mikey up, at least a little bit. And he had continued working on Madelyn's and Mrs. Sparkling Hair's dresses.

But what had finally brought back Mikey's cheerfulness once and for all had been April's return. And just how tight he had hugged her had shown how much he had been missing her.

And from then on everything had been fine for Michelangelo again. April had her father back, April was happy, and April showed up in the lair and visited them again. That was how things were meant to be. At least for Mikey.

And now that he thought of it, Leo had to admit, that he had to agree with Mikey on this one. This was how things were meant to be.

And with a smile on his face Leo started reading the letter again.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_That sounds just like Mrs. Sparkling Hair. She always forgets to say nice things. So, yes, please tell Mr. Beam that she likes his dresses._   
_And of course it is okay if she stays with Mr. Beam every now and then, especially when he needs someone to cheer him up. I am sorry he doesn't have someone who cheers him up when he's sad. Or maybe he is so good at hiding his own sadness that you all just don't realize. Maybe he is sad more often than you think. So yes, if it is okay for Mrs. Sparkling Hair, let her spend some time with Mr. Beam. I bet she will cheer him up._   
_So, if I ever have problems finding a new name for a doll, I can ask Mr. Beam for help? That's awesome!_   
_Yes, April liked her card. She even started crying, but I know it was happy tears, so that was okay._   
_Mr. Turtle, do you miss April? I know she is very busy because her father is back, but I know I miss her although I am going to meet her for dinner tonight. She and her father invited me and Daddy over. I can't wait! And I hope that April has more time to spend with you and me soon. And I am very happy that her father is back now. She missed him a lot, but now he is back, and everything will be fine again._   
_I will talk to April about our fanfiction later and tell her what we have in mind for the first chapter. The exhibition is a great idea. I think April will like it. And I will tell her about the photo shoot with Mrs. Sparkling Hair too._   
_So when do you think you have time to come over so I can give you lessons in playing Go Fish and you can show me how to protect me and Daddy when someone tries to hurt us?_   
_And yes, I tasted strawberry tea. It is so delicious! Apple tea and strawberry tea are my favorite teas now._   
_I hope to see you soon._

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo couldn't help, but wonder once again, how much Madelyn had deduced out of the few words he had written about not seeing April for a few days. He had always known that she was a bright little girl, but that still surprised him.

He took a pen and his green letter paper and wrote his reply.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Mr. Beam was really happy when I told him that Mrs. Sparkling Hair likes his dresses. It cheered him up. And that Mrs. Sparkling Hair spent time with him cheered him up as well. And I think you are right. Maybe he is sad more often than we realize. Just because he is such a cheerful person doesn't mean he can't be sad. I will try to pay more attention to if he is really happy or if he is only pretending to be. Thanks for making me see this, Madelyn! You are really wise for your age._   
_Of course you can ask Mr. Beam for help when you need to name something. He is really, really good at it. And he loves naming things. Just ask him. I bet he'll be happy to help you. But be careful! I am not sure if he would try this with you as well, but if he says something about taking over his cleaning duty, just tell him you decided otherwise. He and my other two brothers love to make me taking over their cleaning duties when I need something from them. I've become the cleaning expert in my family now, and I don't like it. I even have nightmares about cleaning right now. That's how much cleaning duty is haunting me at the moment. But it's getting better. I told my brothers that I'd love to do anything else, but cleaning in return for their help, and so far, they accepted it. I just hope it stays that way._   
_I am glad April liked her card. I bet it's a beautiful card._   
_Yes, Madelyn, I really missed April, but now, she is back. She brought me your letter and she, my brothers and I watched 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five!', and it is just great to have her back. We all think so. And Mr. Beam is back to his cheerful self. But it was important to give April time to get used to her father's return, to give her time to help her father settle in in his old life again, and from what I know, they did a pretty good job._   
_Did you enjoy having dinner with them?_   
_I had a little talk about our fanfiction with April, and she said that you and her are going to start writing the first chapter this weekend when you're going to stay at her place because your father is out of town. And I think that would be the perfect opportunity to meet you again. We can play Go Fish and I can show you a few self-defense tricks. I can't wait!_   
_Yes, strawberry tea tastes delicious, and it is my second favorite tea after green tea now._   
_See you on the weekend, Madelyn!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_


	47. Just A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo teaches Madelyn some basics in self-defense.  
> This chapter takes place after “Pizza Face”.

Leo was getting ready for visiting Madelyn and April this evening. He wanted to be on his way as soon as it was dark outside. He had just talked to April on the phone. Madelyn was already with her and she and Kirby were watching "Unicornia" while April did her homework. The teenage girl still was a bit cautious when it came to her father meeting mutants, so she had asked Leo if they could stay on the rooftop. It wasn't very cold at nights, and since they were in New York there would be enough light still. And just in case April had prepared some lanterns which she would light later.

Leo had hoped to be able to talk to Kirby a bit, but he knew of his nightmares, and in no way did he want to contribute to them. So meeting Madelyn and April on the rooftop seemed like the right thing to do.

He glanced over at his alarm clock. He still had an hour left, so he could join his brothers in the living room. But before he could leave his room, Mikey popped his head in.

"Hey there, Leo!" the youngest turtle greeted. "Whatcha up to?"

"Mikey, knocking!" Leo snapped back.

"Oh, yeah, right." Mikey retreated immediately. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Leo asked, but there was no reaction.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Mikey, you can come in now!"

The door was opened and Mikey entered his room. "How did you know it was me? Do I have a special way of knocking?"

Leo rolled his eyes again. "Mikey, you just popped your head in without knocking two seconds ago! Of course I knew it had to be you!"

"Very smart, Leo, very smart," Mikey said.

Leo let out a loud breath. "What do you want?"

"Oh, right," Mikey started. "I wondered if you are going to see Madelyn tonight. I heard you mentioning this to April when she was here yesterday."

Leo mentally shook his head. What was it that Mikey could forget about the most common things like knocking over and over again, but when it came to something someone had mentioned that seemed important to him, he would never forget _anything_?

"That's true," Leo said. "I wanted to leave in about an hour. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, good." Mikey gave a little nod. "Could you…uhm…bring Mrs. Sparkling Hair to Madelyn? Her new dress is ready and she really wants to show it to Madelyn. And it's the dress that resembles the one I have in mind for Madelyn, so I want to know if she likes it."

"Of course I can."

"Good," Mikey said. "I'll go get her."

But instead of moving he lowered his eyes.

"Mikey, is something wrong?"

"No, no, I'm…fine." He shifted uneasily, and then he finally raised his eyes and looked at Leo. "Why?"

"Because you wanted to go get Mrs. Sparkling Hair, but you're still here."

"Uh, yeah, right." And with that Mikey wanted to turn around and leave the room, but before he could move, Leo stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No, Mikey, first you're going to tell me what's wrong, okay?"

Leo gave his brother an encouraging smile. Mikey looked at him for a moment, frowningly, then he sighed and lowered his eyes again.

"…but it's stupid," he mumbled.

"It makes you sigh and frown, so I'd rather say it's important. Now tell me."

Mikey lifted his gaze for a moment, searching Leo's face for a sign if his brother was serious or not, but then he sighed once more and looked to the ground again.

"It's about this dream I had, remember?" he said then.

Of course Leo remembered. How could he forgot how Mikey had shown up in the lair some nights ago, looking totally overtired so that sensei had sent him right to bed despite the early hour and Mikey hadn't even had the strength left to object, but instead just walked into his room. And then there had been this scream Leo could remember all too well, a scream that had shaken him to the core. They had all jumped to their feet immediately and walked over to Mikey's room to check on him, even April who had been with them for another movie night – or rather "Super Robo Mecha Force Five!"-night. They had all been relieved when they had realized it had just been a nightmare that had caused Mikey to scream like this. And from what Leo knew, Mikey had gone right back to sleep after they had told him everything was okay. The next morning at breakfast he had told them in every detail about his dream, about this pizza mutant, the zombies, April nearly ending up as Pizza Face's dinner and how Mikey had defeated him by eating him, except for a small slice that he had spared because of Pizza Face's family. Despite the grossness of this, Leo had secretly admired Mikey's ability to show mercy. Of course, he himself had done something similar when he had let Fong get away instead of finishing him when the Purple Dragons had attacked Murakami. He knew how hard it was. And it had showed him once more how capable his brother was when it came to emotional things.

And even Splinter had told Mikey, that even though it had just been a dream, he was proud that he had been strong enough to put his anger aside and show strength by being able to forgive, by showing mercy. Of course Leo hadn't missed the side glance Splinter had given Raph for a moment when he mentioned the anger, but if Raph had noticed, he had carried it off well by focusing extra hard on his bowl of cereals.

So, yes, Leo knew about this dream. But from what he knew everything had gone well in the end and Mikey had defeated this Pizza Face-monster, so why was he so upset now?

"What about this dream, Mikey?" Leo finally asked.

"Well…uhm…I told you that some pizza-zombies attacked me on the rooftop, right?"

Leo nodded.

"I thought about it again, and then I realized that one of them had been Madelyn. I had to fight Madelyn! I didn't realize first because her face was covered by a pizza and I was too busy saving all of you, but it was Madelyn! I fought Madelyn! That's terrible!"

"Mikey, it was just a dream," Leo said and gave his brother's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You didn't fight her for real."

"But it felt so real! I mean, this fat guy threw her into my face and she went all little girl-zombie-fighting-mode. It was terrible!"

"It was a dream, Mikey, just a dream," Leo repeated.

"I know…" Mikey let out a loud breath. "I told you it's stupid."

Leo shook his head. "No, it's not. It troubles you." He thought about that for a few moments. He remembered what Madelyn had said about Mikey – or in her case, Mr. Beam – being sad, and right now, Mikey was sad. And suddenly Leo had an idea how he could cheer his little brother up.

"So what do you think of joining me tonight? Madelyn would be happy to see you again, I bet. And so you can tell her in more detail about Mrs. Sparkling Hair's new dress and the dress you have planned for her."

Mikey lifted his head, looking so wide-eyed at his brother that Leo wondered how his eyes still fit into Mikey's face. "I can…come?"

Leo nodded encouragingly. "Of course you can!"

"Yay!" Mikey cheered. "Let me go get Mrs. Sparkling Hair." And with that he darted out of Leo's room.

Leo amusedly shook his head when he saw that.

_Oh, Mikey…_

* * *

When Mikey was back what seemed like seconds later, he was holding Mrs. Sparkling Hair in his one hand.

"So what's on tonight's schedule?" he asked eagerly.

"I want to show Madelyn how to defend herself when she has to. Just some basics, you know."

"Oooooooooohhhh, I can tell you this little girl already knows one or two things about self-defense," Mikey said with a grin. "Like in my dream, when they threw her at me, she was fighting me so stubbornly, trying to scratch my face, I really had a hard time to shake her off. So maybe you can go from there."

"Mikey, I won't teach her how to scratch someone's face!"

"Okay, but you could throw…"

"And I won't throw her either!"

"Oh…"

* * *

In the meantime April glanced over to her father and Madelyn sitting on the couch and watching "Unicornia". She knew she should work on her essay, she knew she should probably get up from her seat at the dining table, go to her room and work there because the living room provided too many distractions, but she just couldn't force herself to do so. What she was seeing was just too gorgeous!

"No, Mr. O'Neil!" Madelyn said to Kirby, her voice sounding a bit irritated because her listener just didn't seem to get it. "The weather unicorns don't _make_ the weather, they _control_ it. They bring the clouds where they are supposed to be with their magic, for example, but they don't create the clouds."

"Okay, I see," Kirby said. "But how do they know where the clouds should be?"

"Because they have a weather plan."

"And where do they get this plan from?"

"From the Four Princesses."

"Then why was the Princess of the Summer just so surprised that it started raining in the last episode? I mean she was drenched! Wouldn't she just stay inside when she knows there's a rainstorm coming up?"

"I guess she forgot," Madelyn replied. "And wasn't it springtime in this episode? I think in spring, the Princess of the Spring has more power and probably it's her then, who prepares the weather plan."

April lowered her head a bit so that her face was hidden behind the laptop screen and pressed a hand to her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud. This reminded her so much of when she had been a little girl and her father had asked her all these _logical_ questions about her favorite shows and she had answered them from what she had known from the show or she had made up her own explanations – something she had really benefited from, she realized now. It had taught her to think things through, to try to get to the core of everything.

But nonetheless, it was kind of funny to see her father act like this with Madelyn as well. And to be honest, it was very touching, too.

* * *

"Isn't it nice to see Leo act like this?" Mikey asked.

He and April were seated on a blanket on the rooftop of April's apartment building, a pot of tea between them and each of them holding a cup of steaming strawberry tea. There were two more cups on the blanket which belonged to Leo and Madelyn. The two of them were standing a bit away from them and had started their training.

"What do you mean?" April asked as she watched Leo telling Madelyn what to do when someone grabbed her from behind. The little girl listened closely, a small frown on her forehead. "You mean that he acts like a big brother?"

"No, it's not that," Mikey said without looking away from Madelyn and Leo. "He's a big brother to all of us. I know what he's like when he's in big brother-mode, and that's different from how he acts around Madelyn. He's a bigger big brother around her."

April pondered over that for a moment. It was true. Leo was acting so much gentler and more understanding when he was with Madelyn. She knew how his brothers got on his nerves every now and then and how he could lose his temper when it came to them, something that has never happened with Madelyn, not even when she had one of her tantrums, – and which probably would never happen.

"I guess I know what you mean," she said with a smile.

Leo had gently grabbed Madelyn from behind, making sure he wasn't hurting her. Madelyn focused on the task ahead – treading Leo's foot so he would let go of her. But the moment she wanted to do that a pigeon flew past them.

"Mr. Turtle, look, a pigeon!" she called out.

"Madelyn, focus," Leo said gently, although he couldn't help, but use his leader-voice a little bit.

"Oh, right!" Madelyn said and trod Leo's foot very, very lightly.

Leo immediately let go of her.

"That was very good, Madelyn!" he said with a smile. "One more time, and this time, don't let anything distract you and tread on my foot with all your might, okay? I know you're afraid you could hurt me, but that's okay, remember?"

Madelyn nodded, and Leo put his arms around her from behind again.

As April was watching this, she saw something from the corner of her eye, and she quickly shot a glance at Mikey who had a devilish grin on his face.

_Uh-oh…_

"He, is that a pepperoni?!" he called out.

Leo quickly lifted his head and looked at them. It was the moment Madelyn trod his foot with all the might her little body could offer.

"Wh…ouch!" Leo immediately let go of Madelyn, not because he had decided to do so, like he had done before, no, she had really done a great job, and Leo had let go of her reflexively. He was now holding his one foot with both his hands and jumping up and down on the other foot.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Mr. Turtle!" Madelyn called out in a distressed voice and clasped her hands over her mouth.

"No..ouch…that's …o-ouch…okay." Leo forced himself to smile at her. "That was really good, Madelyn!"

Mikey just laughed in amusement. "I told you, Leo," he called over to them, "this girl knows a thing or two about fighting!"


	48. The Color Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Dearing thinks about what it means to him that Madelyn is starting to grow up. What he doesn’t know, is that someone has set eyes on him and his little daughter, someone who is up to no good.

Joseph Dearing was on his way to pick Madelyn up from April's on Sunday afternoon. He was so happy that his little girl had found a friend like April with whom she wanted to spend time with, although he had felt a bit insecure when Madelyn had asked him the first time if she could stay at April's for the weekend. It felt a bit like she was growing up now, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. Okay, she had asked him if she could go over to her friend's place once when they had lived in their emergency accommodation and her friend had lived just across the street, but he had hoped that would be her only growing up-attempt for some time.

But then Madelyn and April had grown closer, and Madelyn had wanted to spend more and more time with April. He was happy about this, sure, but seeing Madelyn withdrawing from him in a way hurt a bit. For about seven years now, it had always been just them, a father and his daughter, and he somehow had grown used to it. But now, Madelyn making her first steps without him, somehow felt strange.

Maybe he should talk to Kirby about this. They both were single fathers, but April was already a teenager, so maybe Kirby could give him some advice on how to deal with this. Or maybe they could just go to a pub, drink beer and talk about their daughters while Madelyn and April spent an evening at home watching "Unicornia".

And there was one more thing he really wanted to talk to Kirby about. He knew that April had a boyfriend. That was what she had told him when he had called her some time ago and he had heard a male voice in the background. How on earth did Kirby deal with that? Mr. Dearing knew that Madelyn was far from starting to date someone, but he knew that this time would come sooner or later – and in his case too soon. And when it did, he better knew how to cope with it.

Well, now that he thought of it, there were a lot of things he wanted to discuss with Kirby. So having a beer together every now and then sounded like a good idea. And when Madelyn started to be more independent, this would mean he would have more free time, too. And spending his free time with Kirby who knew of the troubles of being a single father didn't sound too bad. He would ask Kirby about this soon. But first, he needed to pick up his little daughter.

* * *

Later that day Madelyn was at her favorite playground. She was playing in the sandpit, and Roger was with her.

Madelyn stopped building her sandcastle and watched Roger over. As always, the young man was completely dressed in black. This was a bit unusual, Madelyn thought. Sure, she knew that Roger was no kid, but an adult – when it came to matter of the age, at least –, and she knew too that some adults liked to dress in black. But for Roger, it just didn't seem to fit. He was such a cheerful guy, why would someone like him like to wear black? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Roger," she addressed him, and Roger who had been playing with a toy digger immediately looked up at her. "Why do you only wear black?"

Roger looked at her for a moment, and then grinned broadly.

"'Cause I want to be like Batman!" he said cheerfully. "I want to wear a cape and a mask, too, but Cindy doesn't let me."

"I see," Madelyn said with a smile. "Batman's cool."

"He is! You like superheroes?"

"I do!" Madelyn replied. "I even know one, Mr. Turtle."

Roger looked at her with a confused look in his eyes. "Mr. Turtle?"

"Yes, I know, there's no cartoon or comic about him, but that's because he's for real. He's a real superhero!"

"You know him?"

Madelyn nodded eagerly. "We're writing each other letters."

"I want to write Batman!" Roger suddenly burst out.

"Maybe you can." Madelyn turned her head into her father's direction. "Daddy! Roger wants to write letters to Batman. Could you tell Cindy how to do that?"

"Sure!" Mr. Dearing called back, and then Madelyn turned back to Roger and they continued playing.

Cindy, Roger's sister looked at Mr. Dearing suspiciously. "A letter to Batman?"

He laughed a bit insecurely. "Well, Madelyn has this friend," he started and then lowered his voice so Madelyn and Roger couldn't overhear their conversation. "Imaginary friend, to be exact. She calls him Mr. Turtle, and she just couldn't stop talking about him and wanted to meet him and waited for him every night, so I suggested that she should write a letter to him. The plan was that I would reply to her letter, pretending to be Mr. Turtle, but unfortunately, I lost Madelyn's letter. But a really nice girl found it, and now she writes Madelyn as Mr. Turtle. Madelyn doesn't know about it, though. She really thinks she and Mr. Turtle are exchanging letters. She still talks about Mr. Turtle every now and then, but not as much as she used to. And she and the other girl get along very well. April has become some sort of a big sister to her and babysits Madelyn very often now. She's sixteen, you must know. So this whole letter-thing turned out pretty well for us."

"I see," Cindy said with a thoughtful nod. "I could give it a try. I think Roger might enjoy writing letters to his favorite superhero."

"So he wears black because he wants to be like Batman?" Joseph asked. He had overheard that part of Madelyn's and Roger's conversation.

Cindy nodded. "And he would wear a cape and a mask if I'd allow him to. But could you imagine that?" She gave a nervous giggle. "It's difficult enough to convince parents that he is harmless, just think of how difficult that would be if he wore a mask and a cape!" She giggled even more nervously now.

"I can imagine how hard this must be for you," Mr. Dearing said empathetically. "But you're doing a great job."

Cindy suddenly cleared her throat. "Also, I wanted to thank you that it is okay for you that Madelyn and Roger play together. You have no idea how much this means to him."

"You're welcome," Joseph said. "And as long as Madelyn is fine with it, I'm fine with it too.

"Your daughter has a golden heart, you know that?"

Mr. Dearing nodded with a warm smile. "Yes, I do."

* * *

This night after their evening patrol Leo had sent his brothers back to the lair. He had told them that he would follow in an hour or so, and they had agreed without any protest. He thought they all knew that he wanted to meet Madelyn, and he could tell that Raph had been wracking his brain for a funny comment, but hadn't been able to come up with something in time. At least the lack of such a comment and the angry look on Raph's face had told Leo so. Raph would always try to make fun of him when he got the chance, Leo knew that. And it seemed to be something he had to live with. And didn't he make fun of Raph whenever he got the chance himself too? He liked to think that this was what brothers did. But he still was a little bit relieved when he could leave out one of his brothers' comments tonight.

He looked over to the apartment building where Madelyn lived. It wasn't that late, so maybe the little girl was still up. It had been nice to spend time with her, Mikey, and April on Saturday, but he somehow felt like something had been missing. When they met, it was usually him who tucked Madelyn in, even when April was around, but yesterday this hadn't been possible because of Mr. O'Neil. Leo understood that he still had to get used to his human life and that he felt a bit uneasy with mutants around him. After all, he had nightmares about mutants and the Kraang, and if he needed to stay away from mutants to heal completely, Leo wouldn't stand in the way. But he still wished he had been able to tuck Madelyn in yesterday. It had become some sort of a tradition.

With a smooth jump he landed on the fire escape of Madelyn's building and swiftly climbed down to the window of Madelyn's room. He listened closely if there were any signs of her father in her room, but there weren't. So he cautiously peeked inside. The room was dark and he could make out Madelyn's form lying in her bed. He knocked at the window just loud enough that she would hear him if she was still wake, but silently enough that she wouldn't wake up if she was asleep already.

But Madelyn immediately lifted her head and looked over to the window. A smile appeared on her face as she got up and opened the window for Leo.

"Mr. Turtle!" she said.

"Hello there, Maddie!" Leo greeted her as he climbed inside. "I didn't have a chance to tuck you in yesterday, so I thought, maybe we could make up for it tonight. If that's okay for you, of course."

He smiled at her, but the smile quickly faded when he realized Madelyn was looking at him with a frown on her face.

"Is..uhm.. something wrong?" he asked hesitantly.

"You called me 'Maddie'," Madelyn explained.

"Is that bad?" Leo asked further.

"My name's Madelyn," she said.

"I know that!" Leo assured her. "I just felt like calling you 'Maddie'."

"But my name's Madelyn," she repeated.

Leo got down on his knees to be at eye-level with her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He hadn't thought that calling her "Maddie" would irritate her so much, on the contrary, he had thought that she would like it. After all, she loved nicknames.

"And my name's Leonardo," he said then. "And you call me 'Mr. Turtle', and I like it, so I thought that you would like having a nickname yourself."

"Daddy has a nickname for me, but he only uses it when it's just the two of us."

"I see", Leo told her. "I can only use your nickname when it is just the two of us as well. If you allow me to call you 'Maddie', of course. If you don't want me to, I won't call you 'Maddie', okay?"

Madelyn thought about it for a moment. "I have to think about it, Leon…"

"Mr. Turtle is fine, "Leo interrupted her with a smile. "I love the nickname you gave me."

And finally Madelyn smiled back at him. "Okay, Mr. Turtle."

Leo gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and then let go of her. Madelyn climbed back into her bed and Leo covered her with her blanket.

"So, are you going to tell me a bedtime story, Mr. Turtle?"

"I could recount a 'Unicornia'-episode if that's okay. You know, like I always do," Leo replied, making a mental note that he finally should think of some bedtime stories. Recounting episodes had become a habit between them, but he was pretty sure that some real bedtime stories couldn't hurt either.

Madelyn answered with an eager nod. "Could you recount the one with the wedding?"

"Of course!" Leo replied. "It was a warm afternoon and Tallulah Twinkle and her friends were outside having a picnic…"

* * *

The next day Mr. Dearing was bringing Madelyn to school. They were walking down the street, Madelyn holding her father's hand as she usually did.

But little did they know that they were spotted on. Four men hanging around in a side street watched them closely.

"What about those two?" one of them asked. "Look like easy prey."

Another spitted out. "He a rich guy?"

"Nah, I know him a bit," another one replied. "Don't think he has much money with him."

"Then where's the sense in mugging them?" the fourth man asked.

"Yah, we need money," the second one confirmed.

"Easy one," the first man told his companions. "I bet he's gonna spend all his money to get his lil' princess back, don't ya think?"

His companions replied to that with evil laughter.

"When we gonna strike?" one of them asked.

"When we got the chance," was the reply, as they watched Madelyn and her father turn around a corner.

"And that's when?"

"Soon."


	49. Kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Madelyn gets kidnapped, Leo and his brothers go to her rescue. But something goes terribly wrong.

Slowly, Mr. Dearing stumbled over to the kitchen table, just going through the motions, when he sat down. His heart was pounding in his chest, contrasting with his all too calm appearance, and when he lifted his hands, he realized they were shaking terribly. He rested them on the table top. He wasn't sure if he was in shock or not, he had no idea if what he was feeling here was normal or not.

And it didn't matter at all.

They had taken his little daughter from him! They had been on their way back home after he had picked up Madelyn from school, walking down the street hand in hand, like they always did. But then these men had appeared out of nowhere. When he had set eyes on them, he had immediately positioned himself in front of Madelyn in attempt to shield her with his body, but there had been four men, and they had made short work of him. Within moments he had been lying on the hard concrete, while two of the men dragged Madelyn away. He could still hear her fearful cries for help, for her father.

But there was something else ringing in his ears, something more important.

_If you want to see your lil' princess again, show up here at midnight, with all the money you can scramble up 'til then. No cops!_

That was what one of the men had told him.

Mr. Dearing lifted his shaking hands again, burying his head in them as he felt his eyes starting to prickle and the first tears in a very long time were running down his cheeks. He knew he should be at the bank right now, he knew he should look how much money he could get, but he just couldn't pull himself together right now. He needed this moment of weakness, just this one moment, before he could get a grip on himself again.

When he thought he had let himself go long enough, he took a deep breath, fighting back all the tears that had remained behind his eyes. But there was no time for that. He had allowed himself a moment, and this moment was over now.

But before he had gotten a hold of himself completely, the doorbell rang, and Mr. Dearing literally jumped to his feet, pushing over the chair while doing so which met the floor with a loud clang.

He turned his head into the direction of the door. Had they found him? Was it one of the kidnappers? What did they want? He didn't have time to go to the bank yet!

He went over to the door and peeked through the spyhole. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar face of a certain teenage redhead. But the relief was immediately replaced by new worries. What was April doing here? What should he tell her?

With a quick breath that was meant to calm him down, but didn't do anything of the kind, he opened the door.

"Hello, April."

"Hi, Mr, Dearing!" April beamed at him. "I know this is a bit on short notice, but I thought maybe Madelyn would like to join me on a photographer's walk. I've canceled the last few ones, and I know she feels a little sad about it, so I thought, maybe we could make an impromptu photographer's walk and…" She stopped immediately as she saw the look on Mr. Dearing's face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked quickly.

"Yes, sure, Madelyn would love to join you, but she's sick."

"Oh, the poor darling! Can I just say hello to her then?"

"No!" Mr. Dearing said a bit too loudly. "It's contagious."

April frowned at him. Something was wrong here, very wrong.

"Mr. Dearing, what happened?"

"N-nothing!"

"Mr. Dearing, I think I can tell when someone is lying," she said earnestly, "and you _are_ lying."

"April, I wish I could…"

"Oh no, don't 'I wish I could' me, Mr. Dearing!" April interrupted him. "Tell me what happened!"

"April…"

"I am _not_ going to leave before you tell me what's going on!"

Mr. Dearing blinked a few times at April's behavior. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her brow was furrowed, and she had this resolved look in her eyes.

He took a deep breath.

"Okay," he finally gave in. "But you better come in first."

* * *

April was sitting at the kitchen table in Mr. Dearing's apartment. Mr. Dearing had just left for the bank. She first had intended on going with him, but then thought better of it. She hadn't called Leo yet, first, because she had no idea of how to tell him that Madelyn had been kidnapped, and second, because she knew that he would immediately set off to look for her. The only problem was that she had no idea where they were holding Madelyn captive. She could be anywhere!

She was so worried about Madelyn, and not knowing what to do didn't help either. They needed a starting point, something they could work with, and at the moment, she didn't even know where exactly Madelyn had been kidnapped. So she needed to wait for Mr. Dearing's return anyway. And maybe he could tell her some details about Madelyn's kidnappers, something that would help find her.

* * *

Madelyn was curled up into a ball, her back against a wall, and crying silently with her face pressed against her knees.

"Oh, stop crying, will ya?!" one of the men in the room shouted at her which made her flinch.

"Come on, Dan, that's no way ta treat a lil' girl!" another man said and went over to Madelyn. "You gotta treat them nice or else they ain't stop cryin' ever."

Dannie just huffed at that.

The other man crouched down in front of Madelyn.

"Hey there, lil' darlin'," he said nicely. "Want some sweets?"

And with that he retrieved some candy from his pocket and held them out to Madelyn, but she just shook her head behind her knees and continued crying.

Dan rolled his eyes. "Now ain't that working perfectly?" he hissed.

Another man approached him. "Dan, I've been thinkin', the guy only has a few hours to get money. Don't ya afraid that he won't get much?"

"And what ya want me to do now? Extend the deadline?"

The other man nodded.

"And how am I supposed to do that? We can't call him, we don't have his number!"

But then he set eyes on Madelyn, and suddenly a smile appeared on his face. "Maybe that'd work."

He went over to Madelyn and crouched down next to the man who still was holding out some candy to her.

"Hey there, sweetie," Dan said in the sweetest voice he could muster up. "Ya want to call ya Daddy?"

* * *

Mr. Dearing had just arrived back from the bank. He had come back here by taxi, too afraid to walk the way with all the money he got with him, because he could have been robbed, although this meant that he had to spend a little of his money on the taxi. But it had been either having a little less money or maybe having no money at all, and that would have been too risky. He thought he had never run up to his apartment at such a high speed like he had done today.

He exhaled sharply the breath he had been holding as soon as the door snapped shut. April came to him from the kitchen, a frown on her face, and she had already opened her mouth to say something, but that moment Mr. Dearing's mobile rang. He retrieved it quickly, frowning for a split second at the unknown caller-ID, before he answered the call.

His face went white as a sheet as he heard the sobbing voice at the other end of the line,

" _Daddy!"_

"Ma…Madelyn?" he stammered. "Are you okay?"

But it was another voice that answered now, a male voice.

" _She's okay,"_ the man said. _"How long, depends on ya. There's a change of plan. We thought we might give you a little more time. So we'll keep ya lil' daughter till tomorrow night. Ya can have her back in exchange for all the money ya can get till then. We'll let ya know about the meeting spot."_

"Wait, what?" Mr. Dearing called out, but the caller had already hung up.

With a shaking hand he tucked his phone away.

"Mr. Dearing, what's wrong?" April asked. "It was them, right?"

Mr. Dearing answered with a nod. "They want more money and keep Madelyn until tomorrow night."

He stumbled over to the kitchen and let himself slump down on a chair. He buried his face in his hands and started crying again.

April watched him worriedly, not sure what she should do now.

_Wait, the kidnappers just called him, right?,_ she thought. _Now that's something I can work with._

"Mr. Dearing, I'll be right back," she said. "I need to…call my father to let him know that I won't make it home for dinner today."

And with that she walked over to Madelyn's room.

As soon as she had closed the door, she put out her Tphone from her pocket, hitting the speed-dial.

"Donnie," she said quickly as her mutant friend had picked up. "I need you to get a trace on the last incoming call on this number." She quickly recited Mr. Dearing's number. "It's urgent."

There was a little pause as Donnie said something, but April interrupted him quickly.

"No, Donnie!" she said in her most mandatory voice. "Now!"

* * *

It was night, and Leo and his brothers had taken up position on a rooftop. Leo was using a spyglass to look into a small warehouse at the opposite site of the street.

"As far as I can tell, there are four of them there," he told his brothers. "I can't spot any firearms. Madelyn's in the back of the warehouse."

He handed the spyglass to Donnie. "Here, Donnie, doublecheck."

Donnie blinked a few times, looking at his brother disbelievingly, before he took the spyglass and did as he had been told.

Leo did his best to keep cool on the outside, but on the inside, he was a chaotic mess of worries and anger. He was so worried that something could happen to Madelyn, ever since the moment April had told him about what has happened, he had been trembling like an aspen leaf on the inside. And then there was this rumbling anger that those creeps had taken Madelyn. But he had to stay calm, he had to be able to think, to react to whatever would occur from now on. And he had to be able to come up with a plan. But still, he couldn't ignore completely what was going on inside him, so he had decided to let Donnie doublecheck, just to be safe. He didn't trust himself completely now.

Donnie nodded after a while.

"You're right, Leo," he said. "Four kidnappers, no firearms, and Madelyn's in the back."

"So there's only one of these creep for each of us to beat down?" Raph asked. "That's not much, and I really need to show them how to treat a little girl. Can we beat them up twice? Or does anyone want to leave his creep to me? I really, really need to make sure they get my point."

"You can have my creep," Leo said. "For I'll get over to Madelyn as quickly as I can and get her out of there."

"Alright!" Raph punched his fist into his other hand. "Let's show them kidnapping is a dying business!"

His brothers looked at him and blinked at him.

Raph returned their look confusedly, but then it dawned on him. "No, no, that's not what I meant!" he said quickly. "Well, I meant…uhm…that…" He grunted in frustration. "Whatever! Now, let's get Madelyn out of there!"

* * *

Madelyn shifted a little in her position. Her back was hurting from having to sit on cold concrete the whole time, and she was starting to get really tired. But she couldn't just lie down here. She was so cold and afraid, and she really wanted to go home now.

_Mr. Turtle, can't you come get me?,_ she thought for the hundredth time since her capture, but this time, the universe seemed finally to be listening to her.

With a loud crack one of the windows broke as four ninja turtles jumped inside. And then everything seemed to descend into chaos. There were shouts and thuds and painful outcries, and Madelyn tried really hard to keep up with what was going on, but she was too exhausted.

The next thing she remembered was that someone very familiar crouched down next to her, someone with green skin and a blue mask.

"Madelyn!" Leo addressed her as he put her into his arms and heaved her up.

"Mr. Turtle!" The relief in Madelyn's voice was obvious. "You've come to save me!"

"Of course!" Leo replied. "I would never let you down. And now let's get you out of here."

And with that he started running for the broken window.

He was about to climb outside, when Madelyn suddenly cried out.

"Look out!"

Leo turned, but it was too late as he almost immediately felt a sharp pain in his left upper arm. Instinctively, Leo kicked the man in the guts. He stumbled backwards, the knife fell from his hand and hit the floor with a clattering noise.

Next thing Leo realized was how Raph punched the man in the face.

He ignored the pain in his arm and finally climbed outside.

"Mr. Turtle, you're bleeding!" Madelyn said in a scared voice.

"It's not that bad," Leo said. "Just don't look at it."

And with that he made his way to Madelyn's home with the little girl in his arms.

* * *

Leo had just climbed down a fire escape into a side street close to Madelyn's apartment building. He knelt down and set Madelyn on her feet. He saw some movements from the corner of his eye and knew that his brothers had arrived. So all he had to do now was tell Madelyn to get over to the apartment building and that they would watch over her until she was with her father. He just needed to tell her that she should tell her father that she had escaped and not mention him. But on the other hand, she could tell her father about him. He wouldn't believe her anyway and just think it was something she had made up to cope with the shock.

He opened his mouth to tell Madelyn what to do, but suddenly he felt all dizzy. And why did his left arm that had been burning like hell all the way here, suddenly feel ice cold? He tried to talk to Madelyn, to form the words with his mouth, but it felt too exhausting right now. To tell the truth, everything felt too exhausting right now. He tried his hardest to keep his body in a kneeling position, but he couldn't, and he suddenly slumped forward. He could hear Madelyn gasp in shock and feel the cold concrete on his cheek as his face hit the ground. And then he couldn't hear or feel anything anymore as all went dark around him.

"Mr. Turtle!" Madelyn cried out, rushed to his side, knelt down, and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to shake him awake.

"Mr. Turtle?" she tried again, but there was still no reaction. "LEONARDO!"


	50. Mutants, Monsters, and Maladies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Leo is out cold and Madelyn refuses to let go of him, his brothers and April face some unforeseen problems.  
> This chapter takes place before "The Wrath of Tiger Claw" and gives some sort of an explanation why Leo started thinking about Karai again.

The other three turtles were by Leo's side immediately. For a second, Raph totally forgot about the little girl clinging to Leo and would have shoved her away, but he remembered just in time to stop his hand before he touched her.

He looked at Leo worriedly.

"Donnie, what's wrong with him?" he asked.

"I don't know for sure," Donnie replied. "The cut in his upper arm isn't deep enough to cause a reaction like this." He examined the cut more intently, realizing how the area around the cut was swollen and a deeper green than the rest of his brother's skin.

"Wait!" he called out. "I think the blade was poisoned!"

"But it won't kill him, right?" Raph asked, and immediately regretted his choice of words, when Madelyn started sobbing terribly at the word "kill".

"I don't know," Donnie said, but with a side glance to Madelyn corrected himself. "I mean, I don't think so." He tried a small, but very weak smile in Madelyn's direction, but she couldn't see. She had wrapped her arms around Leo's neck her forehead resting on his head and was crying her little eyes out.

"So, what do we do now?" Raph asked.

"Bring Leo back to the lair so I can attend to him," Donnie said.

Raph nodded. He looked at Madelyn again, thinking of how he could make her let go of Leo, but when the only idea he could come up with was shoving her away, he looked at Mikey for help. When Mikey returned his look, Raph pointed his head into Madelyn's direction, and he really had to give Mikey credit for understanding without any words. But when it came to emotional stuff, it looked like Mikey was rather bright, even if Raph refused to see it sometimes and definitely refused to admit it nearly all the time.

Mikey approached Madelyn, gently resting one hand on her shoulder.

"Come, Madelyn," he said in a calm voice. "You gotta let go of Mr. Turtle so we can bring him to the hospital."

Madelyn shook her head. "No! Want to…stay with him!"

"Now this is brilliant!" Raph called out, but bit his tongue before he could say something angry to Madelyn.

Donnie was wracking his brain for something they could do. Madelyn wouldn't let go of Leo, so they would have to get her away from him with force. This was a possibility, true, but he was pretty sure that Madelyn would throw such a tantrum when they tried that, that within moments, people would come looking what was going on here. There had to be a way to make Madelyn let go of Leo without any following tantrums. But he sure lacked the experience to think of something. And time was ticking! They had to get Leo to the lair quickly!

Besides Leo, there was only one person, Donnie knew that had enough Madelyn-experience to deal with this situation, and he quickly retrieved his Tphone to call her.

"April," he said quickly when she picked up. "We're facing some unforeseen problems here. Leo's badly hurt and Madelyn refuses to let go of him. We're in a side street close to her apartment building. Could you come get her?"

* * *

April was in the kitchen with Mr. Dearing, drinking the fifth cup of coffee – not that she really needed caffeine. She was alert anyway to not miss when the guys brought Madelyn here. She had called her father earlier that day, telling him that she would stay here because Madelyn was sick. She had promised Mr. Dearing to not tell her father what really had happened, and she had kept her promise. She hadn't told her father, she had only told the guys.

She had lost track of how many cups of coffee Mr. Dearing had drunken so far, but given the fact that he was shivering more than ever before, it must have been a lot. He was so afraid that he might miss a call from the kidnappers that he didn't want to risk falling asleep. And April had to agree with him. There was no risk he would fall asleep, a heart attack was much more likely right now.

And she nearly gave Mr. Dearing one when her Tphone rang. The poor man nearly fell off his chair.

April checked the caller's ID and her eyes widened in surprise. If Donnie called her, something was definitely wrong. Hadn't they agreed to drop Madelyn off here and she should tell her father that she had managed to get away?

She quickly picked up, not caring about leaving the room.

"Yes?"

She turned white as a sheet to whatever the caller was telling her and all she managed to say was, "I…I'll be there!"

She was halfway through the door as she hung up and called a quick "Gotta go!" to Mr. Dearing. There was no time for explanations.

She didn't even realize that Mr. Dearing watched her every move closely. Something was odd here, and usually, he would have let it pass. April was a teenager, and being odd was part of this period of life. But not tonight. His daughter had been kidnapped, and he was far from letting _anything_ pass. He was too concerned, and his fatherly brain somehow connected everything around him with his daughter right now – the coffee machine which made Madelyn laugh every morning because of the funny noises it made, the good china he had set eyes on when he had opened a kitchen unit to get two cups, which Madelyn loved so much, and now April's call. Everything was about his daughter right now, everything _had to be_ about his daughter right now! His brain refused to think of anything else. And with that one thought his brain was able to let through at the moment, he got up and followed April.

When he was in the street, he looked around, not being sure into which direction April had taken off. He couldn't see her. But he could hear something, some silent cries, inaudible to anyone who didn't know them. But he _did_ know them. It was Madelyn's cries! And with that he rushed over to the side street where the crying was coming from.

* * *

April rushed to the said side street as fast as she could. When she got there, she stopped for a moment, taking in the picture of Leo on the ground surrounded by his brothers and a crying Madelyn clinging to him. She quickly went through the possible scenarios of how to make Madelyn let go of her Mr. Turtle.

When she finally had decided on one, she nodded determinedly and started approaching Madelyn, but before she could reach her, there was this voice behind her.

"Wh..what is going on here?"

April stopped rooted to the ground, her eyes widening in shock. How could she have missed that someone had been following her? She had been too concerned about Leo to even think of that!

But then it hit here. She knew that voice!

She turned around and faced Mr. Dearing who was standing there, his eyes wide, his jaw dropped, his whole body shaking slightly as he saw how his little daughter was clinging to a giant turtle.

What should she do now, April thought, and then decided to try something.

"Surprise!" she called out in an extra-cheerful voice, a big fake grin plastered to her face. "Mr. Turtle is real!"

"But…what…Madelyn…how?" Mr. Dearing stammered.

Madelyn finally lifted her head and looked over to her father.

"Daddy!" she called out, got up and ran over to him. She flung her arms around him. "Daddy, Mr. Turtle is hurt!" And then she started crying again.

Mr. Dearing had given up on saying a whole sentence, just kept on looking at the four ninja turtles wide-eyed. He lifted his hand and patted Madelyn's head gently, but it was more like an automated motion.

"Mr. Dearing, I promise, I'll fill you in on the details!" April said, the fake grin and the cheerful sound of her voice gone immediately as she decided that she should rather try to be reasonable. "Please get Madelyn inside. I'll follow you in a moment."

Mr. Dearing nodded slowly, this motion looking just as automated as his patting of Madelyn's head and he then picked Madelyn up and went over to the apartment building.

April waited until he was inside before she turned to her mutant friends again.

"He…he saw us!" Mikey called out.

"You don't say, genius!" Raph said angrily.

"What we do now?" Mikey continued.

"I'll deal with Mr. Dearing," April said. "You've got to take care of Leo."

She looked down at Leo, furrowing her brows worriedly.

Donnie appeared at her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay," he said when April looked at him. "I'll call you later."

April nodded and with that she turned around and went to the apartment building.

When she was gone, Donnie nodded at Leo and Mikey and the two of them picked Leo up and carried him over to the nearest manhole cover. And within moments they had disappeared into the darkness of the sewers.

* * *

"So…Mr. Turtle…has been real all the time?" Mr. Dearing asked.

He and April had tucked Madelyn in some moments ago, and because of the most recent events and her exhausting crying, she had fallen asleep almost immediately when her head had touched the pillow.

Mr. Dearing was now sitting at the kitchen table again.

"Yes," April replied as she poured him a cup of tea. Mr. Dearing sure had had enough coffee for at least a week, so she had thought, it was time for something more relaxing. She had a seat opposite him and pushed the cup towards him. Mr. Dearing took it, but just wrapped his fingers around it as if he needed to hold on to something.

"So there are monsters in New York?" he asked further, not looking at April, just staring into space.

"Mutants, please," April replied. "And you've already met one of them before. You remember this crazy guy with the rats? He was a mutant, too."

"I…I thought this was just some crazy scientist in a costume with genetically modified rat monsters."

"No, mutants," April repeated. "All of them mutants."

"I can't believe this!" Mr. Dearing said. "I think I need to sit down."

"Mr. Dearing," April addressed him and when he finally looked at her, she added, "You're already sitting."

Mr. Dearing gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, yeah, right."

But after a moment he turned serious again. "So what do we do now? Call the police? Inform the media?"

"No!" April called out. "Leo…Mr. Turtle and his brothers have to stay a secret, so they can keep saving this city from other mutant threats." She nearly had added "and aliens", but thought better of it. Mr. Dearing already had to deal with a lot, so she would save the Kraang for another time.

"They…save the city?"

April nodded. "They did it several times and continue to do so. It's their mission to save this city and its inhabitants – just like they have saved Madelyn tonight."

"I…I owe them," Mr. Dearing stammered. "A lot."

"That's what they do," April said with a slight smile.

There were a few moments of silence before Mr. Dearing spoke up again.

"So Madelyn was right," he said which made April raise a brow and look at him questioningly.

Mr. Dearing looked her right in the eye. "Mr. Turtle really is a superhero."

"Yes," April said. "I guess he is."

* * *

Back at the lair after Donnie had attended to Leo's wound and had administered him an antidote, he, Raph, Mikey, and Splinter were gathered around Leo's bed.

"I guess that's all I can do for now," Donnie said.

"Then why is he still not waking up?" Mikey asked, his voice slightly panicked.

"He will, Michelangelo," Splinter said. "When it is time."

"Okay, I'm taking the first shift," Raph announced and slumped down on the stool next to Leo's bed.

"Very well," Splinter said. "I will take over later."

Raph replied to that with a nod.

Splinter shoved his two other sons out of the room. "You two, get some rest now."

But before Splinter left the room, he turned around once more. Raph's eyes were set on Leo, a worried look on his face, and Splinter knew for sure that he would have to drag Raph out of here later. It had always been like that. Raph refused to leave his brothers' sides when they were very sick or badly hurt. He was highly concerned and always felt guilty when something like that happened as if it had been his fault. Splinter would have to have a talk with Raph about this, but first, Leo needed to recover. And with a silent sigh Splinter left the room.

Raph was watching Leo closely, afraid to miss the smallest movement. He saw how his brother's eyelids fluttered as if he was having nightmares. And given the facts, he most probably was.

* * *

After feeling ice cold for a quite a while now Leo suddenly felt hot again. It felt like his skin was burning, but wait, wasn't this the heat coming from the furnace where Tiger Claw had threatened to throw Mikey in? But why was it all flames now? Why did he already feel like he was burning? He gasped for air, but it didn't really help. And through all these flames he saw a dark figure, suddenly taking shape of a certain kunoichi.

"Karai!" he called out to her. "You gotta believe me! Splinter is your true father!"


	51. Feverish Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting injured by one of Madelyn’s kidnappers with a poisoned knife, Leo is suffering from feverish dreams.

Fire, fire everywhere! Leo squirmed and struggled, but the flames were still licking at his skin, making it hurt and burn. He tried to gasp for air, breathed in desperately, again and again, but it didn't really help. The heat seemed to have eaten up all the oxygen in the air.

And then he saw her again, surrounded by flames, her eyes looking down on him.

"Karai!" he addressed her once more, fighting against the flames, shouting her name, although all that seemed to be able to leave his mouth was a whisper.

"He's your father," he croaked, his throat being too dry to talk properly. "Splinter is your true father. You have to believe me! Karai!"

But she just stared down at him, her eyes cold as ice, and he shivered, all the heat suddenly disappeared and was replaced by pure coldness, flames turning into ice and snow.

His whole body felt like it was frozen. But he tried to shake it off. She had to hear what he had to say, she had to _believe_!

"K-Karai," he said with chattering teeth. "Please!"

But there was no sign of understanding in her eyes, she just continued staring down on him.

"P-please!" he tried again. "It…it's the truth!"

Still no sign she understood, and when he opened his mouth again, when he wanted to tell her the truth once more, she disappeared – and everything around him fell into darkness.

* * *

Raph was watching his brother closely, how he winced and groaned, shaken by a terrible fever – he had been watching him for the past two days, and he would have done it non-stop if Splinter hadn't dragged him out of Leo's room and forced him to get some rest. But after three hours of sleep Raph had been back at Leo's side. He even refused to leave the room when it was someone else's turn to watch over Leo. Donnie managed to shove him out of the room, though, insisting that he needed peace and quiet to look over Leo and someone looking over his shoulder with bloodshot eyes and the angriest look on his face one could think of would only distract him.

So this made Raph stay out of Leo's room when it was Donnie's shift. But he usually stayed in the corridor, cowering on the floor with his back against the wall, and waited until Donnie's shift was over again. He only left for the kitchen when his stomach was growling so loud he couldn't ignore the fact that he was hungry any longer.

When it was Mikey's shift, Raph stayed inside Leo's room and they both watched over him.

On Splinter's turn Raph was either dragged out of the room and forced to rest in his own room, or Splinter allowed him to stay, but he had to lie down in a sleeping bag and at least pretend that he was trying to get some rest.

At the moment, Raph was alone with Leo again, wiping off the sweat from his brother's face with a damp cloth.

And Raph couldn't help, but wonder what his brother was seeing in his dreams. He was moving his lips as if he was talking, but no words were escaping his mouth, and unfortunately, Raph had never figured out how to read lips.

He let out a loud breath. He had to do something. Maybe talking to him would help. And Raph winced a little when he realized there was something he should have told his brother long ago. So maybe he should tell him now.

"I know that may not be the right time to tell you this, but I've kicked that down the road for way too long now," he began. "So I guess this is as good a time as anytime." He took another deep breath. "Well, it's like this: I think I've done something I shouldn't have done. I…uhm…sorta snuck into your room after the truth was out about you and Madelyn being pen pals. I thought she could lead you into a trap, that maybe she was fake or the Foot used her to get to you. You've always been too credulous, you know that. And I'm pretty sure, one day, you'll cause us a lot of trouble with your 'always believe in the good in people'-attitude. But anyway, I tried to find some proof that she was fake, and then I found her letters in the drawer of your bedside table, and I read them all. There was no proof for my theory there, so I put them back and acted like nothing had happened. I guess I did that because I knew it had been wrong and that I shouldn't have invaded your personal space like this. When I blabbed what I had done to April and Mikey, they told me that I had been wrong, but they left it to me to tell you about it myself. And that's what I did. Pretty late, I know, but still. I guess I was embarrassed by this whole incident, that's why I couldn't tell you sooner. And I…I'm sorry, okay? I'll take over your cleaning duty for a week to make up for it, okay?" He forced himself to smile at his brother who couldn't see neither hear him, but maybe he could feel it somehow.

"So we're good now, right?" Raph asked after a few moments in which he had tried to keep the weak attempt of a smile on his face and had finally given up. "Just…just wake up first, okay? Please?"

Raph watched his brother even more closely now as if he thought he would miraculously open his eyes immediately after his confession, but Leo didn't move at all.

Raph sighed again as he picked up the damp cloth and washed his brother's face again.

* * *

There was a silent knock on April's window at the evening of this day, and moments later the teenage girl opened the window for Donatello.

"Hi, Donnie!" she greeted him, but then frowned suddenly. "You're sure this is okay? Don't they need you at home? Doesn't Leo need you?"

Donnie shook his head as he climbed inside. "There isn't really something I can do. Leo's fighting his way back to consciousness. I checked on him before I left. And when something happens, Master Splinter knows what to do. Besides," – he sighed – "I really needed to get out of there for a while."

April looked at him compassionately. "That bad?"

Donnie sighed again. "Raph's angrier than usual when he is forced to leave Leo's room, and that really means something. Master Splinter barely speaks, and Mikey sits forlornly on the couch and doesn't know how to deal with the situation. I lock myself away in the lab most of the time, but it doesn't really help. I can't concentrate on anything anyway, and I still can feel all their worries and brooding somehow. Plus, I'm brooding and worried myself. So I'm thankful that you asked me for help. It would be good to get my thoughts elsewhere."

"Okay." April nodded. "I hope you're in the mood for history. I need to write an essay on the Cro-Magnons and their influence on the Neanderthals. The essay is due tomorrow and due to the recent events, I didn't have time to work on it."

"I see." Donnie rubbed his hands as he went over to April's desk. "Let's get started."

April followed with a smile.

* * *

They had just worked on the essay for half an hour when the doorbell rang. April didn't really pay attention. She was sure her father would get it, and he did. Only when a voice that sounded rather familiar reached her ears, she turned her head to the door. And it was the same moment when Madelyn came running into her room.

"Aaaaaapril!" the little girl called out, but it somehow missed the usual cheerful rang.

"Madelyn!" April replied and got up to hug Madelyn for a welcome.

"Look who's…," she started, but then realized that Donnie was gone. "…here?"

She frowned. But it only seemed natural that Donnie would take off as soon as someone approached April's room if Donnie wasn't one-hundred percent sure the visitor was a friend. And he didn't know Madelyn's footsteps, so hiding had been the only right thing to do, the only right _ninja_ thing to do. He wasn't far, April was sure about that one, probably on the rooftop or the fire escape.

Moments later, Mr. Dearing entered April's room as well.

"Sorry to drop in on you, April," he said. "We were in the neighborhood and Madelyn insisted, we came here. She really wants to speak to Dr. Donnie about Mr. Turtle. And I guess you have his number."

"That's not necessary, I'm right here," a voice said and when April turned around, she found Donnie crouching outside on the fire escape and popping his head inside through the open window. He waved at Mr. Dearing cautiously. "Hello, Mr. Dearing."

Well, it was one thing knowing about the Turtles, facing them was still a bit unusual for Mr. Dearing, so all he did, was waving stiffly back at Donnie.

At that moment, Kirby joined them and looked from Mr. Dearing to Donnie and then back to Mr. Dearing. April had told him what had happened and that Mr. Dearing knew about the Turtles now. He had to suppress a smile when he saw Mr. Dearing's reaction to the mutant turtle looking at them. And he could imagine how he felt. It must be sort of overwhelming if you didn't see them on a regular basis.

So Kirby placed a hand on Mr. Dearing's shoulder. "Beer, Joseph?" he asked.

Mr. Dearing turned to look at him.

"Definitely!" he called out and allowed Kirby to lead him out of April's room.

When they were gone, Donnie finally climbed inside, not sure what he should think of Mr. Dearing's reaction. But then Madelyn ran over to him.

"How's Mr. Turtle?" she asked.

"Better," Donnie said, although there hadn't been a real improvement in Leo's condition when he had left, and no one had called him so far, so he was pretty sure that this still was the case. But he wouldn't tell Madelyn that. That was a white lie, anyway.

"I want to see him!" Madelyn said, and the look on her face changed into something Donnie couldn't quite name, but it reminded him a bit of April.

"Well, he's still sleeping, so I'm not sure…," he started, but was interrupted by Madelyn.

"I want to see him!" she repeated with more force now, and Donnie finally could name what the look on her face was – stubbornness. No wonder it had reminded him of April.

"But…," he started again, but didn't know how to continue, so he helplessly looked at April.

The redhead went over to them and placed a hand on Madelyn's shoulder.

"Madelyn, Mr. Turtle is still asleep, and he really needs his sleep to get well soon," she said. "So you can't visit him right now. But why don't you draw a Get Well Soon-picture for him?"

Madelyn nodded.

"Okay," April said. "I'll get you paper and pencils." And with that she left the room.

Madelyn turned to Donnie again, and Donnie gave her an insecure smile.

"Dr. Donnie, can I give Mr. Turtle the picture when he is awake?" Madelyn asked.

"Sure!" he replied. "But it needs to be the most awesome pic you've ever drawn! Really detailed and colorful!"

Madelyn just nodded, and then April came back.

"April!" Madelyn called out. "Dr. Donnie said I can give Mr. Turtle the picture myself when he's awake!"

"Really?" April said, and she managed to prevent her eyes to grow big in shock, she really had to give herself credit for that. "That's…awesome."

"I know!" Madelyn was jumping up and down in joy, and then took paper and pencils from April. "It just needs to be the best pic ever, very detailed and colorful!"

"I see," April said. "You can sit on my bed if you want to. Dr. Donnie and I have work to do."

Madelyn just nodded and skipped over to the bed. She sat down and immediately started drawing.

April watched her for a moment, then looked at Donnie and pointed at her desk with her head. Donnie nodded, and moments later they were seated at April's desk again.

But before they could continue their work, April addressed him in a low voice, so that Madelyn couldn't hear them.

"Do you have the slightest idea what you have done?" she asked without looking up from her books to not make Madelyn suspicious.

"Come one, she's a kid," Donnie whispered back. "She'll forget about it. I always did that to my brothers when we were kids. They wanted to do something I didn't like, so I gave them something to do that really needed to be done before we could get to what they wanted to do, and when they were done, they had forgotten about it or didn't want to do it any longer. Well, Mikey usually had forgotten and Raph and Leo didn't want to do it any longer. So no worries!"

"Much worries!" April replied. "We're talking about Madelyn here! And she would never forget _anything_ when it comes to her Mr. Turtle!"

"There's a first time for everything," Donnie said.

"Yes, Donnie," April retorted. "Even for you being wrong."

"Well, we'll see about that."

"Oh yes, Donnie. We sooooooooo will!"


	52. Keeping Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donnie learns the hard way that Madelyn never forgets anything when it comes to her Mr. Turtle.  
> This chapter takes place before "The Wrath of Tiger Claw".

For the first time in what felt like ages Leo didn't feel like his skin was burning anymore. He just felt warm. He could breath and he didn't have the feeling that the flames were eating away all the oxygen. There weren't any flames anymore, Karai's face had disappeared too and he somehow felt like he would break through a cloud bank that had cut him off of everything else. He could hear someone breathing and moving. Suddenly, his mouth felt terribly dry.

"Th…thirsty," he croaked, and his voice sounded so completely different than it had during his time in the midst of fire or ice.

"What was that?" a surprised voice asked.

"Thirsty," Leo repeated. "Water, p-please."

Then he felt how a hand was shoved under his back and he was lifted a bit, and then, finally, something was pressed against his lips. He opened his mouth, and when the water touched his mouth, he started drinking eagerly. It was just water, but it tasted like the most delicious thing he had ever tasted as it ran down his throat, cold and freshening. When he had emptied the glass, he was lowered back on the sheets.

He turned his head to the side and finally managed to crack his eyes open and when his blurry vision focused, he found Raphael looking down on him with wide eyes.

"You…you're awake!" Raph called out.

"I guess I am," Leo said with the smallest smile one could think of, but it was all he could manage right now.

"I'll get Donnie!" Raph said. "Just don…don't move!"

And with that he ran out of the room.

"DONNIE!" it echoed through the lair a split-second later. "HE'S AWAKE!"

* * *

"Oh, that's awesome!" April said into her Tphone. "I'll stop by the lair later. Thanks, Donnie!" And then she hung up.

That was good news. Leo had finally woken up, and it looked like he would be recovering quickly from now on.

She needed to tell Madelyn. The little girl was so worried about her Mr. Turtle, she had to hear the good news right away. But before April could dial Mr. Dearing's number, she hesitated.

Telling Madelyn meant reminding her that Donnie had promised her she could give Leo her Get Well Soon-picture herself. And this meant that she would want to go to the lair. Donnie had been so sure that Madelyn would forget about that, once she had started working on her picture, but April had her doubts. No, she was pretty sure, Madelyn hadn't forgotten anything. And she was the one with the greater Madelyn-experience.

So maybe she should wait with her call until Leo was feeling well enough to visit Madelyn instead, maybe accompanied by his brothers.

_No._ April shook her head slightly. That would mean to leave Madelyn in the dark about Leo's condition even longer, and this just didn't feel right. She simply had to tell Madelyn the truth.

Besides, it had been Donnie who had given her this promise, so should he think of how to get out of this mess.

_Sorry, Donnie_ , she thought as she dialed Mr. Dearing's number, _but you've made your bed, now you must lie in it._

* * *

"Okay, April, another homework emergency?" Donnie asked as he climbed into April's room through the open window that evening. "You know: _Please come over, I need your help!_ is quite gauzy."

"Well, it's not really about me," April replied.

"Huh?" Donnie looked at her surprised. "Then what is this about?"

"Oh, you'll see."

And with that April turned her head into the direction of the door and called out, "Madelyn, you can come in!"

And the same moment Madelyn darted into the room.

"Dr. Donnie!" she cried out. "I heard Mr. Turtle is awake! I have his picture here." She brandished said picture. "So can we go meet him now?"

"Well…uhm…," Donnie stammered. "I…I don't think so. He…uhm…needs a little more time to recover before he can receive visits." He smiled at Madelyn, but it turned out quite awkward.

Madelyn's face hardened immediately. "You said I can give him my picture when he is awake!"

"Well, I didn't say when exactly that is going to be..uhm…"

"When he is awake!" Madelyn repeated. "And he is awake NOW!"

Donnie looked at April for help, but she just shrugged, a devilish grin on her face. Yes, she had more fun than she should have right now, but it was just too funny.

Donnie looked back at Madelyn.

"But Madelyn…," he started again, but Madelyn didn't let him finish his sentence.

"He is awake NOW!"

"I…I…"

"I want to see him NOW!"

"Madelyn, I don't think…" Again, he didn't have a chance to finish his sentence.

"You promised I can give him his picture myself! And you have to keep your promises, Dr. Donnie!"

"But…"

But instead of saying something, Madelyn inhaled sharply and held her breath.

Donnie's eyes widened in shock, and he winced a little. He looked at April again, although he knew he couldn't expect any help from her. And he was right. She just kept grinning at him.

So he looked back at Madelyn who still held her breath.

"Madelyn, please breathe!" he said, taking a deep breath himself. "I'll bring you to Mr. Turtle."

Madelyn exhaled and cheered. "Yay!"

Donnie looked at April once more. She had crossed her arms over her chest. She just kept grinning devilishly.

Donnie sighed again.

* * *

Mr. Dearing and Kirby were sitting in the kitchen, each of them holding a bottle of beer.

Kirby heaved a chuckle. He just hoped, drinking beer wouldn't become a habit. Or they wouldn't just be single fathers, but drinking, single fathers. And shouldn't this wait till their daughters were in college or something like that?

Madelyn came running into the kitchen. "Daddy, I'm visiting Mr. Turtle. I'll be back later! Bye!"

She quickly gave her father a peck on the cheek as he bent over.

And then she was gone.

Mr. Dearing looked after her.

He sighed. "You sure this is okay?"

"Of course it is!" Kirby replied. "They are all very nice and caring. They will take good care of her. And April's there, too. So no worries! April is with them nearly all the time, and she's doing fine."

Well, he better left out how often his daughter was involved in fights or that aliens and evil ninjas kept trying to kidnap or even kill her. Madelyn was in good hands. He was sure about that.

"Okay," Mr. Dearing said, but when he turned back to Kirby, he didn't look so convinced.

Kirby decided he had to distract him a bit.

"So what have you been up to? How are doing at work?" he started. "April told me you helped so that her photographs got published."

"Oh, yes, I did," Joseph said. "She is so talented! And it was my way of thanking her. Did you know that she wins the monthly challenges in this photographer's message board nearly every month? Madelyn is her muse and…"

Kirby smiled to himself. Now that had worked pretty well, hadn't it?

* * *

Donnie looked cautiously into the living area and choked a sigh when he found Splinter sitting on the couch and watching TV. Well, he had been sure that he wouldn't make it to Leo's room without being spotted, but he had hoped he wouldn't be discovered right away.

He was holding a blindfolded Madelyn in his arms. The little girl was holding her picture for Leo in her one hand while the other hand casually rested on Donnie's plastron.

Donnie heard April snicker behind him. Yes, for the hundredth time, she had been right. Madelyn had not forgotten about his promise, but did she still have to find this so funny she couldn't stop laughing? Hadn't her "I told you, I told you, I TOLD YOU!"-speech in her room when Madelyn had gone to her father to tell that she was going to see Mr. Turtle, been enough punishment?

He took a deep breath, then straightened up and entered the lair.

"What is this about?" Splinter asked immediately and got up.

"It was an emergency, sensei," Donnie said without stopping on his way to Leo's room. "I'll explain later."

"Hi, Mr. Sensei!" Madelyn greeted in a sweet voice and waved into Splinter's direction with her free hand. But since she had to go by her sense of hearing here, she waved at the TV instead.

Splinter looked confused, but lifted his hand nonetheless and waved back at her, but it was more out of reflex.

Donnie had now reached the aisle that led to their rooms when he heard April's voice behind him.

"You heard him, sensei, he'll explain later."

He choked another sigh. Couldn't April have at least taken this off his shoulders by telling Splinter what had happened? Did he have to do that all by himself?

* * *

When Donnie entered Leo's room, Leo seemed to be asleep. As usual, Raph was by his side, but when he set eyes on Donnie and their guest, his eyes widened.

"Donnie, what the…?" he asked.

"An emergency," Donnie said. "I'll explain later."

And with that he nodded at the door, and although Raph was frowning, he left.

"Hi, Madelyn," he said quickly, when he passed them.

"Hi, Mr. Red!" Madelyn replied.

When Raph had closed the door behind him, Donnie set Madelyn down and removed her blindfold. The little girl looked around the room for a moment, but then she set eyes on Leo.

"Mr. Turtle!" she called out and ran over to him. But Leo didn't react.

"Dr. Donnie!" Madelyn said reproachfully. "You said he is awake!"

"He is!" Donnie confirmed. "Usually."

"Madelyn?" came Leo's weak voice and he cracked his eyes open. He seemed a little confused, unsure if this was real.

"Am I dreaming?" he asked, lifting one had and touching Madelyn's cheek gently.

"No," Madelyn replied and gently shook her head, careful to not shake Leo's hand off. "I'm here."

Leo smiled and patted Madelyn's cheek before he took his hand away again.

"How are you doing, Madelyn?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied. "How are you feeling, Mr. Turtle?"

"Better," Leo said.

Madelyn smiled at him.

"I drew a picture for you," she then said and showed him the picture.

Leo took it carefully. "Wow, that's beautiful," he said, looking at the picture that showed him and Madelyn in what seemed to be a park on a picnic blanket, having tea.

"It's a Get Well Soon-picture," Madelyn explained. " Because I hope you get well soon, Mr. Turtle."

"Thank you, Madelyn," Leo said before he placed the picture on his bedside table.

"Okay, Madelyn, you gave L…Mr. Turtle his picture," Donnie said, suddenly all impatient and restless. He wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. He still had to face sensei and Raph and explain everything and he sure wasn't looking forward to it. So maybe he could procrastinate when he brought Madelyn home first. He didn't want to explain how he had promised Madeyn to bring her to the lair and how he had been forced to keep his promise by a little girl while she was still around.

Madelyn looked at him, opening her mouth to say something, but Donnie didn't give her a chance.

"Mr. Turtle needs his rest," Donnie said in a gentler voice. "He's still sick."

Madelyn just nodded and placed a peck on Leo's cheek before she went back to Donnie. The purple-masked turtle blindfolded her again and picked her up.

"Bye, Mr. Turtle!" Madelyn called out.

"Bye, Madelyn," Leo said, his voice still sounding weak.

And then, Donnie and Madelyn were gone.

* * *

When Donnie crossed the living area again, he found that Mikey and Raph had joined Splinter and April. Mikey, Raph, and April immediately got to their feet when they saw him – Raph to leave for Leo's room, April to join them on their way back to the surface, so she could bring Madelyn home, and Mikey to greet Madelyn.

"Madelyn!" Mikey called out.

"Mr. Beam!" Madelyn called out.

"Can I show her around the lair, Donnie?" Mikey asked, following his brother and April, but Donnie didn't even stop.

"No, Mikey, we have to bring her back," Donnie replied.

"But I can join you, right?"

Donnie sighed. "Sure."

"So, how are you doing, Madelyn?" Mikey asked when they left the lair. "Can we have another tea party soon?"

* * *

Raph had taken up his position at Leo's side again.

"Did you enjoy your sick bed visit?" he asked.

"I did," Leo said.

"You're feeling better?"

"A little."

But Leo's reply didn't sound right in Raph's ears.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly.

Leo turned his head to look at Raph.

"I head some weird feverish dreams," he replied.

"So? What, for example?"

"Well, I once dreamed that you told me that you read Madelyn's letters and that you would take over my cleaning duty to make up for it."

"Haha," Raph chuckled insecurely. "Weird, indeed. But I'll take over your cleaning duty nonetheless. Because I…uhm…am feeling like doing it, okay? Although I don't have a reason to do so, haha."

But Leo didn't laugh, just frowned a little at his brother.

"Uhm…what else did you dream?" Raph asked when a few moments of awkward silence passed.

Leo's frown deepened and he turned his head to look at the ceiling, knowing Raph wouldn't like what he was about to say.

"Leo?" Raph asked further when Leo didn't answer right away.

"I dreamed about her," Leo finally said. "Karai."

Raph's eyes just widened in surprise.


	53. A Little Girl and Her Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Leo is recovering, he decides to write another letter to Madelyn. And Mikey has to learn that Raph might not be as tough as he had thought.  
> This chapter takes place before "The Wrath of Tiger Claw".

"Donnie, can I borrow your laptop?" Mikey's voice was heard from inside Donnie's lab.

"No," came Donnie's reply.

And the next thing that Leo could hear from his place on the couch was Mikey taking a deep breath.

"Nice try, Mikey!" he heard Donnie say. "But that doesn't work. Besides, I know how long you can hold your breath. You're a turtle."

There was a moment of silence.

"Still doesn't work, Mikey, you could just as well stop now."

Another moment of silence.

"Okay, here you go!" Donnie shouted angrily, and Mikey cheered.

Leo shook his head amusedly. He was sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket with a book on his thighs as support for the green letter paper on which he was writing. Or had been writing. He had stopped when Donnie's and Mikey's little chat had started. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but it was just too funny.

A week had passed since Donnie had brought Madelyn to the lair, and Leo was doing a lot better now. He had even taken up training again two days ago, although Splinter and Donnie insisted that he had to take it slow. And he had had to promise them that he would rest enough, so he spent most of the day in his room or on the couch. At the moment, it was the couch because there was a re-run of "Space Heroes" on in a little while and he wanted to watch that after he had finished his letter to Madelyn.

As for Mikey's new trick on forcing Donnie to do what he wanted, it had been caused by Donnie's explanation on why he had brought Madelyn here. At first, he had tried to just tell them that he had been forced to bring her here, but then Splinter had insisted he should tell them how the little girl had managed to do that. And then Donnie had admitted teeth-gnashingly that she had held her breath.

Splinter had just shaken his head and left, although April who had informed Leo about this later, had sworn she had seen a little smile on his face.

Raph had gone angry and told Donnie that he just should have waited until Madelyn had passed out, and everything would have been just fine, and Donnie had countered by telling Raph that he would have wanted to see Raph doing this to a little girl, and they had continued squabbling until their argument had turned into a real fight and Mikey had tried to stop them by holding his breath. That had been the moment when April had sought sanctuary in Leo's room. And when she had found him awake she had told him what had happened.

Five minutes later Raph had come back to Leo's bedside which he had only left to hear Donnie's explanation – and beating him up after that. But well, that hadn't been planned.

Mikey entered the living room now with Donnie's laptop in his hands and walked over to Leo, letting himself slump down next to his brother.

"You doing better, Leo?" he asked.

"What if I don't?" Leo asked back with a smile. "You'll be holding your breath until I do?"

"Haha, very funny," Mikey replied. "I'm just making a little fun of Donnie. Seriously, how could he be forced by a little girl so easily? He's our genius! He should have thought of something."

"Oh, I know, Madelyn can be quite convincing."

"She used the same trick on you too, huh?" Mikey asked.

"She did."

"Seriously, you guys are way too soft."

"And you aren't?"

"Heh, I know my weaknesses, and I know I wouldn't be able to resist a breath-holding Madelyn," Mikey said.

"So what would you do then?"

"Ask Raph for help."

Leo chuckled. "Very wise."

"I know. I have my moments."

A few minutes passed in silence in which Mikey tapped away on Donnie's laptop and Leo wrote. When he was done, he held out the green envelope to Mikey.

"Could you do me a favor and bring this to April later tonight?"

"April told me she was going to come to the lair tomorrow after school anyway, so why don't you give it to her yourself?" Mikey asked, looking at Leo with a raised brow.

"Because she's bringing Madelyn to school tomorrow morning like she always does on Wednesdays and so she could give the letter to her tomorrow."

Mikey twisted his mouth.

"Do I need to hold my breath?" Leo asked.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it!" Mikey said and took the letter.

Leo just smiled.

* * *

April nearly fell off her chair at the sudden knock on her window. She looked around her completely confused. For the past two hours she had been burying her nose in her biology book, and she hadn't even realized that it was already dark outside. She had only turned on the lights instinctively without even realizing doing it.

"April, it's me!" she heard Mikey's muffled voice.

April took a deep breath to calm herself down before she got up and opened the window for him.

"Hi Mikey!" she said. "What's up?"

"Leo sends me to give you this," Mikey replied, handing her the letter for Madelyn. "Can't wait till tomorrow."

April looked at the green envelop with a frown.

"It's a letter," Mikey explained. "For Madelyn, you know."

"I…uhm…do," April replied as she raised her eyes. "But why couldn't this wait till tomorrow?"

"He said you usually bring Madelyn to school on Wednesdays and he wants Madelyn to have her letter as soon as possible."

"Oh." April sighed. "But I don't bring Madelyn to school tomorrow. I have a very important history test tomorrow and I need all the time I can get to study. I even kicked Dad out after school today, so that there won't be any distractions. He's at Mr. Dearing's right now, probably having another single fathers-talk over beer."

"I see." Mikey lowered his eyes. "So what we do now?"

April thought about it. "Well, you could bring Madelyn her letter now."

"Good idea!" Mikey grinned at her. "You're so smart, April!"

"Thanks," she replied with a smile. "I'll give my Dad a call so he can prepare Mr. Dearing for your visit. He's still very uneasy with this whole "mutants meeting his daughter"-stuff."

"Okay!" Mikey said. "You'll call your dad while I'll call for backup."

"Backup?" April's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, just in case, you know."

Mikey pulled out his Tphone and pressed speed-dial.

"Raph!" he said super-excitedly in his Tphone. "It's your favorite brother Mikey speaking."

* * *

Madelyn was sitting at her tiny table and having one of her tea parties with Ruffles McBearington and Daisy and some of her other toys when she heard a knock on her window.

"Mr. Beam!" Madelyn said cheerfully as she spotted Mikey and opened the window for him. "Oh, and Mr. Red is here, too! Come in!" she added when she found Raph perched on the fire escape.

"No, I'm good," Raph replied.

"But Mr. Red, it would be very impolite to not come in if a lady invites you in." Madelyn frowned at him.

"Yeah, Ra…I mean, Mr. Red, very impolite!" Mikey repeated.

Raph just sighed and jumped inside. "Just for a minute, though."

"I'll tell Daddy that you are here. He asked me to inform him when he told me that you'll come over for a visit. I'll be right back."

"So, it is polite to keep us waiting?" Raph mumbled which made Madelyn stop and turn to him.

"But Mr. Red," she said, "it would be very impolite to not tell Daddy that my guests are here. He knows of your visit, so I have to tell him."

"No, I didn't mean to… I mean it's good…I mean I'm fine with it," Raph stammered, his eyes wide with surprise. Heck, that girl had good ears! "That is not impolite. I understand."

"Good." Madelyn just nodded and left her room.

Mikey put his hand over his mouth and chuckled.

"Stop that, Mikey!" Raph yelled angrily. "Or else I'll beat the green off of you!"

"Now, wouldn't that be impolite?" Mikey asked.

Raph immediately raised his fist with an attempt to hit Mikey right there and there, but at that moment Madelyn came back and he let his arm fall back to this side and smiled awkwardly at the little girl.

"Daddy knows you're here and he sends his greetings," Madelyn explained. "As does Mr. O'Neil."

"Thanks," said Mikey and pulled Leo's letter out from where he had tucked it under his belt. "Mr. Turtle asked me to give you this."

"Thank you, Mr. Beam!" Madelyn said with a smile and then nodded towards her tea party-table. "Please join me and my friends for a tea party to make up for your troubles of coming here tonight.

Mikey opened his mouth to reply, but Raph didn't give him a chance.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said quickly. "We gotta get going."

Madelyn looked from him to Mikey and then back to Raph, and then suddenly she did what Mikey had thought she would do eventually. She took a deep breath and held it. Mikey had kind of hoped she would do that. Now Raph would show her that holding her breath wouldn't get her anywhere. Raph was way too tough to fall for this little trick.

_Go, tough Raph!_ , he thought. _Oh, that would make a pretty neat nickname, by the way._

Raph's eyes widened in shock. When exactly had Madelyn stopped being all nice and polite and turned into a manipulating little monster? Well, that wouldn't work on him anyway. Should she hold her breath until she passed out, he didn't care.

So he just crossed his arms over his plastron and looked down on her, but seconds passed and she still didn't breath.

_Not bad for a little girl_ , Raph thought, but then he realized that her face had turned all red. But he stayed strong – well, at least until the red on Madelyn's face turned a darker shade.

"Okay, okay!" he finally said, unfolding his arms and gesticulating soothingly. "We'll stay!"

Madelyn took a breath and smiled at Raph. "This is going to be fun!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Raph said, yielding up in his fate as he sat down at the table.

Mikey just watched, his mouth wide open.

What had just happened?

* * *

"You don't want to say hello to them?" Kirby asked Mr. Dearing.

"No," was the reply. "I am thankful they rescued my daughter and all, but it is still so new for me to actually see them and be around them, I just need a little more time, I guess."

"I see. Well, you'll get used to it. We all did," Kirby said, taking another sip from his beer. He still was a little worried, drinking beer with Joseph would become a bad habit, but he enjoyed it way too much at the moment.

"Well, I'll say hello before they leave," he said and wanted to push himself up.

"Oh, they'll stay a little longer, I can assure you," Mr. Dearing said. "Madelyn is having one of her tea parties, and I am pretty sure she'll make them stay."

Kirby chuckled. "From what April told me, Raph and Mikey are coming over, and although I bet Mikey enjoys tea parties just as much as Madelyn does, Raph is completely different. That guy can't be forced to do anything if he doesn't want to. And I'm pretty sure he hates tea parties with all his heart."

At that moment Madelyn came into the kitchen.

"Daddy, can we have a pot of apple tea?" she asked. "Mr. Red and Mr. Beam are staying for a tea party."

"Sure," Mr. Dearing said. "I'll call you when the tea is ready. Now attend to your guests, okay?"

Madelyn just nodded and left again.

Kirby looked after her, but then turned to Mr. Dearing, his eyes wide.

Mr. Dearing just shrugged. "I told you."

* * *

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I know we haven't exchanged letters for quite a while now, so I thought of reviving this by writing you a letter. After all, it is some sort of tradition, right?_  
I wanted to thank you for visiting me at the lair the other day. It made me feel so much better.  
Your Get Well Soon-picture is so cute. I really love it and it has joined all your other master pieces on the wall of my room.  
I have a lot of free time on my hands at the moment because I can't train properly until Dr. Donnie says I am allowed to, and he said that I should wait just another week, so I checked if I could find some new 'Unicornia'-episodes online, but failed. Do you know if the show is on hiatus or so?  
Speaking of which, how is our fanfiction going? Did you and April have time to write down the first chapter? I can't wait to read it.  
So how are you doing, Madelyn? What has happened to you recently? How's your father?  
Can't wait for your reply.

_Yours,  
Mr. Turtle_


	54. Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo’s still recovering and thus spends most of the time watchting TV. He has to keep himself busy, because there are some thoughts he wants to avoid.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Thanks for writing me a letter! I was missing our tradition, but it's back now._  
You're welcome, Mr. Turtle, and I'm happy you're feeling better.  
Yes, 'Unicornia' is on hiatus, and there won't be any new episodes before September. It makes me a little sad, too, but April is coming over tomorrow evening, and I hope we can start writing the first chapter of our fanfiction. I have it all in my head, it just needs to be written. I hope you are going to like it.  
So no, we haven't written the first chapter yet. But we will tomorrow! And I hope there are some new chapters of this fanfiction you found for me. Last time I asked, April said there weren't any new chapters. I hope this fanfiction and our own can help us kill time before the new 'Unicornia'-episodes. I really miss the show. Summer breaks are stupid.  
Daddy is doing fine. He spends a lot of time with Mr. O'Neil. They are friends now.  
Mr. Red and Mr. Beam brought me your letter yesterday, and they stayed for a tea party. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed it. I just felt a little sad because you weren't there, but I drew you a picture of it. I hope you like it.  
How are you doing, Mr. Turtle?

_Yours,  
Madelyn_

Leo put the letter aside and looked at the picture that had been in the envelope with the letter. And he couldn't help, but chuckle silently. The picture showed Madelyn with Raph and Mikey at her tiny table. The picture was drawn in Madelyn's childish, but super-cute style, and there was one little detail that had caused Leo's chuckle. While Madelyn had drawn herself with a big smile and Mikey with a grin that nearly consumed his face, Raph was giving the smallest smile one could think of. It was amazing how well she had caught Raph's and Mikey's personalities. She had simply nailed it.

_Good job, Madelyn!_

He then reached for the print-outs April had handed him earlier today together with the pink envelope. It was the first chapter of their fanfiction.

Okay, he had promised April, he wouldn't read it before she had gone home again, and she still was in the lab with Donnie, working on an essay on which she needed Donnie's help. She was so afraid that what she had written wasn't good, although Madelyn loved it, but Madelyn was a little girl that adored April to bits, so April was afraid she might be a little biased when it came to her writing. Leo on the other hand was honest. And this was her first piece of writing that wasn't a post on her message board or an essay for school, so she was a bit anxious.

But Leo couldn't help it. He was so curious what the first chapter was like, he simply couldn't wait. And sitting around on the couch all day except for his one hour of training truly hadn't contributed to his patience. Before April had arrived this evening, Leo had watched his favorite "Space Heroes"-episodes for what felt like the hundredth time. He still loved the show, but hell, he already knew all the episodes. He needed something to do!

So April's arrival with Madelyn's letter and the first chapter of their fanfiction had been the highlight of his day. As his one hour of training had been this morning. But now, reading the first chapter of this fanfiction was the most compelling thing to do. He would tell April about it tomorrow. He could keep his mouth shut until then. But first, he needed to read this fanfiction.

_It was a warm and sunny morning and Morning Dew decided to go for a little walk. She needed to kill time before the grand opening of her and this other artist unicorn's exhibition at the gallery this evening, and she thought the fresh air would take a little of her anxiety away. She never had shown her pictures in public before, so she felt a little uneasy._

Leo smirked a little. _Sounds like someone I know…_

* * *

When April left Donnie's lab two hours later, she found Leo sitting on the couch again, nearly in the same position as she had left him. He was watching TV, but when he heard her approaching, he lifted his eyes to look at her.

April smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Done with your essay?" he asked.

April nodded and let herself slump down on the couch next to him.

"Although Donnie edited the whole thing," she replied.

"Yep," Leo said. "Sounds like something Donnie would do."

"I mean, it is so much better now than what I had originally planned, but that made the one hour at school I already spent on this essay pretty useless."

Leo chuckled. "Well, now you know better than starting to do your homework before Donnie helps you. Although I thought you had learned that by now."

April sighed. "Well, I thought my concept was good, and it was. Donnie's was just better."

Leo chuckled again.

"On the bright side," he started then, "your fanfiction is awesome. And I don't think Donnie would edit that."

April turned to Leo in a flash, her eyes wide with surprise. "You read it?"

Leo squeezed his eyes shut for a moment in embarrassment.

_What was that about waiting to tell her until tomorrow?_ , he thought. _Stupid, Leo, stupid!_

"Uhm, yeah," he admitted as he opened his eyes to face her. "I know I should have waited, but I was so bored! And it is so well-written, April, and it perfectly fits the canon of the show, so please, don't be mad!"

He decided to give her his cute puppy dog eyes-look. "Pleeeeeeeaaaaase?"

April looked at him for a moment, twisting her mouth. So he thought of going the extra mile and tilted his head to the side, trying to turn his cute puppy dog eyes-look into the cutest puppy dog eyes-look one could muster up.

April pressed her lips into a thin line, but only for a second, before the serious look on her face faded away, as she gave in to the cuteness.

"Okay, okay, I'm not mad!" she said quickly, gesticulating with her hands. "Now stop looking like that or I might go all 'awwwwwwww' for the next thirty minutes, and you know, if Raph hears that, he might get angry."

"You have a point," Leo said as he turned off his puppy dog eyes-look with a chuckle.

"So you really liked the first chapter?" April asked after a moment of silence.

"I did," Leo confirmed. "You should publish it on this fanfiction-site I showed you."

April's eyes widened again. "Really?"

Leo nodded. "Really."

She frowned a little. "I'll think about it. And I have to ask Madelyn about it. After all, we are writing this together."

"Sure," Leo said. "Oh, and speaking of which…" He retrieved a green envelope from the pile of paper next to him and handed it to April.

She put the letter into her bag. "I'll give it to Madelyn as soon as possible."

"Thanks, April."

"You're welcome."

* * *

It was in the middle of the night when Donnie left his lab, stretching his back and yawning. But when he looked at the couch, he was surprised to find Leo there, watching TV. He had been so sure he, again, was the last one to go to bed. He looked at his brother for a moment who kept his eyes glued to the TV, and something about the look on Leo's face made Donnie shuffle over to the couch and have a seat next to Leo.

"You're still up?" he asked.

"Apparently," Leo replied, without turning away from the TV.

Donnie heaved a sigh. "Leo, what's wrong?"

"Why should there be something wrong?"

Donnie gestured to the TV. "Because you're watching a documentary about Greek mythology, and you aren't into this stuff."

"Maybe I've changed my mind," Leo pointed out, but that only made Donnie twist his mouth with a frown, looking at his brother with piercing eyes.

"You really think I'd buy that?" he asked. "I'm not dumb."

"Never said something like that."

Leo still wasn't looking at him, so Donnie thought he should haul out the big guns.

"Tell me, or I'll go get Raph, telling him you're acting strange and you could be suffering a relapse, and you know how Raph would react to that."

A few moments passed in silence before Leo took a deep breath.

"I just…need to keep myself busy," he admitted. "And that's rather difficult when there's nearly nothing I can do. But I just need to prevent myself from thinking too much, or else I might spend all my time thinking…" He paused.

"…about Karai?" Donnie suggested, and Leo finally turned to him.

"How do you…?" he started.

Donnie just gave a little shrug. "Raph mentioned your feverish dreams. And to be honest, I don't see why you shouldn't be thinking about her. Your dreams have brought back something you've buried deep in your subconscious mind. We all know the truth about Karai, only she doesn't see or doesn't want to see it. And while we others can deal with an unknowing Karai pretty well, you somehow feel responsible because of…whatever has been going on between you and her." He looked at his brother earnestly. "Don't fight it, Leo. It had needed some feverish dreams to make you realize, but you still care about her, and you want her to know that the truth. That's okay. If you want to think about her, do so, because if you keep fighting these thoughts, they'll come back to you double the strength. And I'd say you have more than enough time to think things through now. Raph might be a little angry when he finds out, but I won't. And neither would Mikey."

"I guess you're right," Leo said.

"Heh, I'm the brainiac of this team, _of course_ I'm right," Donnie said with a grin as he got up again. "And I'll talk to Master Splinter in the morning about the extension of your training time. I think you should be able to handle two hours of training by now."

"Thank you, Donnie!" Leo said.

"Don't mention it. Now try to get some sleep."

"I will," Leo muttered, but Donnie was already too far away to hear.

"But first, there are some things I have to think about," Leo said to himself.

* * *

The next day, April and Madelyn were at the park. Madelyn was seated next to April on a bench. April was trying to figure how this fanfiction-site worked and how she could upload the first chapter of their story. She had decided to publish it after Madelyn had nearly burst in excitement when April had told her about it. Madelyn yanked the green envelope open April had given her earlier and started reading.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_That's too bad that there won't be any new episodes of 'Unicornia' before September. But we now have our fanfiction to kill the time until then. I just read the first chapter and I really, really liked it. Your ideas were awesome, Madelyn, and April's writing is very good. I have to talk to April what she thinks of publishing it on that fanfiction-site I know. If that's okay with you, of course._  
April told me about her father and your father being friends. I'm glad they get along so well.  
I really love the picture of your tea party, and Mr. Beam is still talking about it. Mr. Red on the other hand doesn't talk much about it, but that's how he is. I still think he enjoyed it, although he would never admit it. But I know him long enough to be able to say that he really had fun.  
I am a lot better, but not back to normal yet. But I started training again. However, I still have to rest a lot, so I spend nearly all my time watching TV and reading. I even looked up the fanfiction you like so much on this site, but there aren't any new chapters out yet.  
And I have an idea for our fanfiction. Well, you know, Lorenzo is a martial artist. So can we have him save the city from a dragon or something like that? I think he could do that. He would make a good super-hero, don't you think?  
I hope to hear from you soon!

_Yours,  
Mr. Turtle_

Madelyn had just finished reading, when she heard someone call her name. She looked up and found Roger and his sister approaching. Roger was running ahead of Cindy, waving a dark blue envelope in the air.

"Madelyn, look!" he called out. "I got a letter from Batman!"

Madelyn smiled and held her green letter up. "And I got another letter from Mr. Turtle!"

And they both started laughing in excitement.

April looked up from her laptop to look at Cindy. And Cindy looked back to her with a knowing smile. And although April knew that in contrast to Batman, Mr. Turtle really existed, she couldn't help, but smile back.


	55. Now She Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo ponders on what has happened to Karai after she found out the truth about her father.  
> This chapter takes place after “The Wrath of Tiger Claw”.

With a deep sigh Leo slumped down on his back on his bed. He didn't care about his katanas still in their sheaths on his back and how he could feel them pressing faintly against his carapace. It didn't matter. He wasn't even sure what mattered at the moment.

Well, Mikey waking up again sure was one of the things that mattered, honestly, it was top priority, and maybe it should be everything that mattered at the moment, but it just wasn't true for Leo.

There still was Karai – Karai who had lied to him at first, Karai, who had come to know the truth, Karai who had fought alongside them, Karai who had been abducted by Tiger Claw.

And so his thoughts shifted from his worries about Mikey to his worries about Karai. At least, he knew Mikey was still alive. He wasn't so sure about Karai.

Now that she knew that Splinter was her father, now that she had betrayed Shredder and fought Tiger Claw, now that she maybe had confronted Shredder about the truth, who knew if Shredder would let her live?

Yes, in a way, she still was Shredder's daughter. He had raised her. But Leo had no idea how much _family_ really meant to Shredder. He just couldn't see his sensei's mortal enemy as a caring father – especially not now after his daughter had found out that she in reality was Splinter's daughter, not his, that she, in fact, belonged to the other side of this deadly vendetta.

He just knew one thing for sure: Karai's life was in danger. And if it hadn't been for Mikey getting badly hurt, he would have taken off after Tiger Claw, doing anything within his power to save her. But Mikey had come first, no matter Leo's own feelings. He was the leader of their team and as a leader, it was his duty to keep his team members safe – even if "safe" most of the times was equivalent to "alive".

So he had blocked his worries about Karai out, and he and his brothers had brought Mikey back to the lair. They had taken care of Mikey's wounds – well, Splinter and Donnie, mostly, while Raph and Leo had just been standing there, making sure to not get in the way. They had been at Mikey's side for hours until Splinter had sent them all to bed, telling them that they should get some sleep and that he would attend to Mikey in the night.

But Leo knew that sleep wouldn't come his way anytime soon. There was too much going on in his head. And from the footsteps he was hearing in the corridor every now and then when either Raph or Donnie were on their way to the kitchen to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom – and just _coincidentally_ passed Mikey's room by doing so – he knew, same went for his brothers.

He took another deep breath, knowing he really should try to rest a bit. It had been such an exhausting day/night, especially after he still wasn't back to his old form yet. He had started attending the usual training sessions again, and he was doing good, just not back one-hundred percent. But he was on his way. And he had experienced many times that sometimes ninety-five percent had to be enough, and sometimes even less.

And the just ninety-five percent of his old form had been the reason, he hadn't joined his brothers in the pizza gyoza-food fight in what felt like ages ago – when it had been just hours in reality. And his teasing self had gotten the better part of him in the end nonetheless, catching the pizza gyoza with his sword before it had landed in Mikey's mouth.

_Mikey… I wish he wakes up soon._

But then he thought about Karai again and what Shredder could have done to her. And no, he couldn't agree with Raph that probably she was being fine, that Daddy had welcomed his little girl home, like he had put it.

And Leo was pretty sure that Raph didn't believe that either. It was just Raph's way of staying focused by blocking everything else out. And that moment, Mikey had been more important than Karai. Plus, Raph always was like that when it came to new people entering their life. He was always worried about his family, so he got angry when there was one person more he had to worry about. It didn't change that he was worried, though. And he would get used to Karai, he always did. It had been like this with April and with Casey. So it would be just the same with Karai. It may take a little more time.

At least, Leo hoped so.

He rolled over on his side. He really needed to get his thoughts elsewhere. Brooding over things he couldn't change was what he had done way too often recently, and he hated it by now.

He looked over to his bedside table. Maybe reading Madelyn's latest letter would help. And so he opened the drawer of his bedside table and took out Madelyn's latest letter.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Yes, I am glad about our fanfiction, too. April and I have put the first chapter on this fanfiction site, and I'll ask April next time how the other fans like it. This is so exciting! We are going to work on the new chapter next time, April is around. I can't wait! I have so many ideas! And yes, Lorenzo will be an amazing super-hero! I have an idea of him saving Morning Dew. Aurora will help save her, and after that adventure they'll become friends._  
The tea party was so amazing! Mr. Beam is so funny! But I hope, next time you can join us.  
I think Mr. Red is a bit like Mrs. Sparkling Hair. As long as they don't complain, everything is fine. Mrs. Sparkling Hair would never admit that she likes something, even if she loves it. Is Mr. Red the same?  
Yes, Kirby and Daddy are friends now, and I am glad, too. Now, Daddy has a new friend.  
Do you remember Marcus, my friend from after-school care? It's his birthday soon, and there's going to be a big party, and we are all staying overnight. So it is a birthday party followed by a slumber party. I'm so excited! Our whole after-school group will be there. This will be fun! Okay, Billy will be there, too, but there will be so many kids that I think I won't get in trouble. And after you told him to leave me alone, he leaves me alone. He didn't tease me again. So this party will be fun!  
I still have to find out what to get Marcus as a birthday gift. Daddy and I are going shopping on Friday, so I hope I have an idea then. I'll ask Marcus tomorrow what he wants for his birthday. I want to get the awesomest birthday gift for him! Maybe something with 'Space Heroes'. Do you have an idea, Mr. Turtle?  
I hope to hear from you soon!

_Yours,  
Madelyn_

When Leo reread the letter, he couldn't help, but flinch a little when he read about Mikey. And then he felt bad that he had neglected Madelyn for so long. He had been so busy with training and thinking about Karai. After he had finally allowed himself to think about her after his talk with Donnie, Karai had simply consumed his thoughts. He had been so sure that she simply had to believe him, that she needed to know the truth.

And then he had gotten them all into trouble by believing her too fast, but he had been so happy about the fact that she finally had made out the truth.

Well, she had found out the truth, here at the lair when she had talked to Splinter in the dojo, but that had nearly brought Tiger Claw to their secret lair. Yes, she had made up for it, but with risking her own life, and now she was with Shredder again, and Leo better not thought of what Shredder could have done to her.

He sighed.

_At least, now she knows the truth_ , Leo thought, but it didn't make him feel any better.

_Okay, time to get your thoughts elsewhere. This won't help Karai one bit._

He put his letter paper and a pencil and started writing his reply to Madelyn.

* * *

The next day, Madelyn was sitting in the room of the after school-care club and skimming through a storybook. She did that to kill time, but in reality, she was waiting for Marcus to arrive.

And the moment she saw the young boy enter the room, she really had to pull herself together to not just run to him. She took a deep breath, continued "reading" and waited that Marcus would come to her. This was what all the princesses did, right? Let the knights come to them. But now that Madelyn thought of it, she didn't really like it. Waiting was stupid, especially when she had something on her mind.

_I guess some princesses think, waiting for a knight is stupid, too._

So she got up and walked over to Marcus.

"Hello!" she greeted him.

"Madelyn!" Marcus replied with a grin. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm so excited about my birthday party! I hope it's going to be great!"

Madelyn smiled at him. "It sure is! It will be the best birthday party in the history of birthday parties!"

"You think so?"

Madelyn replied with a nod.

"Cool!" Marcus grinned from ear to ear.

"Well, about your birthday," Madelyn started, her voice sounding a bit insecure, "is there something you really want? What would be the ultimate birthday gift?"

Marcus didn't even have to think about it. "My party being awesome and everyone having fun!"

"That's…nice," Madelyn said, and Marcus nodded.

Madelyn heaved a sigh. Now she was as wise as before.

"Are you done with your homework?" Marcus asked then. "I still have to do my math-homework. Heh, think you can help me? You're good at math, right?"

"S-sure."

"Awesome!"

And with that Marcus grabbed her hand and dragged her to a free table, and they spent the rest of the afternoon with math.

* * *

When April came to pick her up this afternoon, Madelyn was a little sad. She still had no idea what to get as a gift for Marcus. April noticed and thought she might cheer Madelyn up a bit.

So many bad things had happened yesterday – Mikey and Casey getting hurt by Tiger Claw, although Casey was doing a lot better now, but Donnie had told her earlier that day on the phone that Mikey still hadn't woken up – that she couldn't deal with one more sad face in her life.

"Here," she said as she handed Madelyn the green envelope.

Madelyn's eyes glistened with joy.

"And Mr. Turtle apologizes for letting you wait so long for his reply. He was…busy."

"I understand," Madelyn said. "He is a super-hero, and he was sick for a long time. I guess he has a lot of things to do now."

April nodded, and for a moment, she wasn't sure if she should tell Madelyn about Mikey's condition, but then she decided to do so. After all, Mikey or rather Mr. Beam was her friend, too.

"And he has double the work now that Mr. Beam is sick," she said.

"Mr. Beam is sick?" Madelyn asked, her voice surprised and worried at once. "Is he going to be okay? Can I go visit him to make him feel better? It worked for Mr. Turtle! Maybe it works for Mr. Beam, too!"

_Oh no, not that again!_ , April thought. _I'm not sure if Splinter can handle any more visitors at the lair at the moment, especially now that Mikey is hurt._

"I…I'm pretty sure it would work for Mr. Beam, too," she said quickly. "But it's contagious, so there aren't any visitors allowed at their home at the moment."

Madelyn raised a brow.

"But you are visiting them, aren't you?" she asked suspiciously.

_Oh, isn't that going just great?_

"Well, yes…I…uhm…am, but that's because I am immune to this…uhm…because I had it when I was…uhm…ten."

_Oh, please, let her buy that!_

"Oh, okay." Madelyn lowered her eyes for a moment.

April heaved a sigh of relief, but immediately held her breath again, when Madelyn looked up at her with questioning eyes.

"April?"

"Y-yes?"

"Can I draw a Get Well Soon-picture for Mr. Beam?"

April let out the breath she had been holding. "Well, of course, you can, Madelyn! He'd love that, I'm sure!"

"And Mr. Turtle won't be jealous?" Madelyn was still eyeing her questioningly.

"Why would he be?" April asked. "You want to help his brother. I'm sure he'll be happy about it, too."

And then the questioning look on Madelyn's face turned into a warm smile. "Okay!"

And when April saw that, it made her heart melt, and she couldn't help, but give Madelyn's hand a little squeeze.


	56. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey finally wakes up.  
> This chapter takes place between “The Wrath of Tiger Claw” and “The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto”.

"PIZZA FACE!"

Leo awoke with a start – not so much because of this sudden outcry that had been echoing in the aisle, but because of who had screamed.

"Mikey?" He was on his feet in no time and running over to Mikey's room. When he entered the room he saw that Raph and Donnie were already there. Splinter was sitting on the edge of Mikey's bed, trying his best to calm his youngest son who had sat up in bed, down.

"He's back!" Mikey yelled, his eyes darting about like mad.

"No, my son," Splinter said. "You are safe."

"Pizza Face's back! And Tiger Claw's with him!" Mikey repeated, his voice panicked.

"Michelangelo, wake up," Splinter said calmly, but his voice had a bidding ring to it. "You are safe."

Mikey finally set eyes on his sensei. First, he didn't seem to realize who was talking to him, but then he blinked a few times, and suddenly, the panicked look on his face was replaced by relief.

"Sensei!"

"Yes, my son," Splinter confirmed. "And your brothers are here too."

"Wh…what happened?" Mikey asked in a confused voice.

"Don't you remember?" Leo asked. "You were attacked by Tiger Claw."

"Yeah, and hurt pretty badly," Donnie chimed in. "He knocked your shell lose. Which reminds me, do you need any painkillers?"

Mikey just shook his head as he lay back again. "No, I'm fine."

But his eyes wandered to the shelf, looking at something over there. And before Leo could think of what that could be, Raph had already grabbed Mikey's teddy bear, the one that was only held together by duct tape after Leatherhead had torn it apart, and handed it to Mikey.

Mikey replied with a smile and hugged his teddy bear.

"Try to get some sleep, my son," Splinter said, and Mikey just nodded, his eyes already closing again.

"And you three," Splinter addressed the others as he got up, "go back to sleep, too."

He led them to the door, and while Donnie and Raph hesitated just a little, but then obeyed and walked back to their rooms, Leo stopped at the door.

"Sensei, you want me to take over?" he asked. "You should get some sleep, too."

Splinter shook his head. "No, Leonardo, I am fine. Go back to bed. You can take over in the morning."

Leo nodded. "See you in the morning, sensei."

"Good night, my son."

* * *

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I'll ask April about our fanfiction, too, next time I see her. I want to know if other fans like it as much as I do. I love that Lorenzo is going to be a super-hero. It really suits him._   
_Yes, that totally sounds like something Mr. Red would do. So I guess you are right. He and Mrs. Sparkling Hair have a lot in common._   
_I hope it's going to be a great birthday party. As for a gift, if I remember correctly, Marcus is a 'Space Heroes'-fan, right? Well, a new art book has been released last week. Do you think that would serve as the perfect gift? If he really likes 'Space Heroes", I bet he is going to love it._   
_As for our next tea party, I am afraid this would have to wait a bit. Mr. Beam is sick, and we are all feeling a little sad about it. But I'm sure he would love to have another tea party when he has recovered again. I am sure this would be great. What do you think? Should we make some sort of a 'We're Glad You're Fine Again'-tea party? I think he would love that._

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

Madelyn had just reread Mr. Turtle's letter and then looked at the Get Well Soon-picture she had drawn for Mr. Beam. It showed him, herself, Mr. Turtle, April, Mr. Red, and Dr. Donnie in the park, having a picnic. The sun was shining and looking down at them with a big smile. She hoped Mr. Beam would like the picture and that it would make him feel better. She placed it next to Mr. Turtle's letter and then started writing her reply.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_April said that she got seven reviews for the first chapter. A review is when people tell you what they think of your story, she told me, and all reviews were nice. So I think the other fans like our story. I think we should write the next chapter soon. I told her what I want to happen in the next chapter, and she said she will write it as soon as she can. I hope, that's soon, because I am so excited about this!_   
_Daddy and I walked to a bookstore yesterday after school and we got this art book you mentioned. It is awesome! I asked Daddy to buy one for me, too, and he did! This is so great! I have my own 'Space Heroes'-art book! Now I can draw Captain Ryan even better with all this great pics I can look at!_   
_April told me that Mr. Beam is sick. It made me really sad. First, you were sick, Mr. Turtle, and now Mr. Beam is sick. Did he catch it from you? April said she is immune, so I am not worried about her, but what if Mr. Red and Dr. Donnie get sick, too? And will I get sick, too? April said Mr. Beam is contagious and I can't visit him because of this, but I could visit you, so I think you weren't contagious, right? Otherwise Dr. Donnie hadn't allowed me to visit you, right? I hope Mr. Beam gets well soon._   
_And I love the idea about a 'We're Glad You're Fine Again'-tea party! Let's make one! Marcus' birthday party is on Saturday, but we can have our tea party after that when Mr. Beam is well enough. I'll tell April about it._   
_I drew a Get Well Soon-picture for Mr. Beam. I'll give it to April with your letter. I hope that's okay. Can you bring Mrs. Sparkling Hair to Mr. Beam? I think this will cheer him up. Being sick is so boring._   
_I hope to hear from you soon!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

* * *

Two days had passed until April showed up in the lair again. A stupid biology-test had kept her away.

_First this history-test, now a biology-test!,_ she grumbled. _What's the sense in school, anyway?_ _I'm gonna be a deadly kunoichi soon and my mutant friends and I save the city on a weekly basis, so where's the sense in getting good grades?_

But she knew she had to keep up appearances, at least a little bit. Irma was already suspicious enough, and when April started skipping classes even more, she would maybe start investigating. And not to forget that her father could get into trouble. So, as annoying as school could be at times – well, most of the times – she had at least to look like she was trying her best to get good grades.

She was glad to find Leo and Mikey in the living room. The youngest turtle looked still a little battered, but a lot better from what she had heard from Donnie.

She slumped down on the couch next to Leo, greeting him with a nod before she turned to Mikey.

"How are you doing, Mikey?" she asked.

"I'm stupendous!" Mikey replied with a grin, but then thought about that for a moment. "Or let's say, pretty close."

"I'm glad to hear that," April said with a smile.

Then she opened her messenger bag and retrieved the infamous pink envelope and handed it to Leo.

"Madelyn gave me this when I picked her up from school today," she explained. Then she retrieved a piece of paper. "And that's for you, Mikey." She handed it to him, and Mikey looked at the piece of paper wide-eyed.

"That's…for me?" he asked.

April nodded.

"Oh my gosh!" Mikey laughed happily, let himself fall back on his carapace and kicked the air like a little child while mumbling "Awwwww, this is so cute! So cute!" all the time.

Leo looked at April with confused eyes, but she replied with a little shrug.

Then Mikey sat up again.

"Look, Leo!" he said as he turned the picture, so Leo could have a look at it. "Madelyn drew me a Get Well Soon-picture! This is awesome! I'm feeling so much better now! My thanks to Madelyn, April! Oh, this is great!"

And then he turned the picture so he could look at it again and went all "Awwwwwwwww…" for what felt like ages.

April grinned broadly at this sweet display of happiness. But then she glanced at Leo with a little frown. She wasn't sure what Leo would think of this. Sure, she had known that Madelyn wanted to draw a picture for Mikey and had even asked her if it was okay. And yes, she had given her approval, but now that she thought of it, maybe Leo would be a little dumbfounded nonetheless. After all, Madelyn had never drawn pictures for any of his brothers before. And Leo was just the teeniest-tiniest bit possessive when it came to Madelyn. April realized that maybe she should have told him, but well, this stupid biology-test had kept her too busy to think of that any sooner.

_Stupid school with its stupid tests!_

But the frown disappeared from her face immediately when she realized that Leo was watching his brother with the warmest smile one could think of. And this made her smile again, too.

* * *

Madelyn and Roger were sitting in Madelyn's room at Madelyn's little table. Cindy and Roger had come over for a visit this evening. And while Mr. Dearing and Cindy were chatting in the living room, the "little ones" were having a tea party.

"Got another letter from Batman," Roger announced.

"That's great, Roger!" Madelyn said with a smile. "I just sent another letter to Mr. Turtle today."

"Awesome!" Roger grinned from ear to ear for a moment, but then the grin suddenly faded and he lowered his eyes.

Madelyn realized this immediately.

"Roger, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, thinking about Batman," Roger said. "He's a superhero, and he's writing letters to me."

"But…that's good, right?"

Roger shrugged. "Dunno. He should be chasing the Joker or another supervillain, not writing letters to me. I'm not important."

"Awwww, Roger!" Madelyn looked at him sympathetically. "Even superheroes have a normal life, don't you know? And some of them love writing letters. Like Mr. Turtle. And Batman. So don't worry. If he has something more important to do, he won't write. Mr. Turtle does not reply for a week sometimes, and that's when I know that something really, really important popped up, like that he has to save the city. But he always apologizes in his next letter, although I do understand. Superheroes are busy with saving cities sometimes. That's okay. But I know Mr. Turtle loves writing letters to me. And I think same goes for you and Batman. Writing letters is a hobby, and maybe it's one of Batman's hobbies, like punching the Joker in the face."

"Punching the Joker in the face is no hobby of Batman," Roger said earnestly. "It's what he has to do sometimes." But then he smiled at Madelyn. "I think you're right about the letters."

Madelyn smiled back at him, proud that she had managed to cheer him up. But then Roger was all sad again.

"I'm just afraid my letters bring trouble to Batman."

"Why's that?"

"I send him letters, so maybe people can find the Batcave now, because of my letters," Roger replied.

"No worries!" Madelyn said immediately. "I talked to Daddy about this, too. I asked him how the people at the post office knew where Mr. Turtle lives when I sent him my first letter – we now have April as a mailwoman, so we don't need the post office any longer – and he told me that they have a special service for superheroes. Only a few people at the post office know their addresses, and you aren't allowed to write the addresses down on the envelope because they are secret. So when a superhero gets a letter, they bring this letter to the employee who knows his address and they deliver the letter then. But they are all sworn to secrecy, so our superheroes are safe."

"Oh, I see." Roger nodded his head slightly. "This makes sense. I mean you can't just ignore letters to superheroes. I bet they get a lot of letters every day. I mean I can write my letters to Bruce Wayne, too, but if the wrong person opens the letter, they will find out his secret. So I write to Batman directly."

Madelyn nodded. "That's very wise from you."

Roger grinned broadly. "Thanks!"

Madelyn then hold up her plastic tea pot.

"Do you mind for another cup of tea, Mr. Roger?" she asked.

"Sure!" Roger replied and shoved his little plastic cup closer to Madelyn, but Madelyn raised a brow at that. "Oh, I mean: Well, of course, Miss Madelyn!"

Madelyn just smiled and acted like she was pouring a cup of tea for Roger.


	57. Miss Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During another training session with Leo, Madelyn ponders on April’s nickname.  
> We are still between "The Wrath of Tiger Claw" and "The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto" here.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I talked to April about our fanfiction, and she told me that she has half the chapter finished. Can't wait to read it! And she got even more reviews for the first chapter in the meantime, so we are up to ten reviews now. That's awesome!_  
 _You have a 'Space Heroes'-art book now? That's amazing! I wish I had one, too. Can I have a look at yours next time we meet? April said you are going to stay at her place on Friday, so I think I can show up for a little training session plus tea party then. Mr. Beam is still sick, although he is doing a lot better, but we have cut down our patrols until he's better. So I'm free on Friday._  
 _And no, you won't get sick, no worries. What I had been suffering from wasn't contagious. And you haven't met Mr. Beam since he is sick, so you are going to be okay._  
 _And just like April, Mr. Red, Dr. Donnie, and I are immune, too. It's a superhero-disease, so only superheroes can get it. And once you had it, you are immune. And this goes for April, Mr. Red, Dr. Donnie, and me. And once Mr. Beam is well again, he is immune, too._  
 _I had a little talk with April about your tea party-idea, and as soon as Mr. Beam is well again, we are going to have one. I'll leave the planning to you because you did a great job with our victory tea party._  
 _Mr. Beam loves your Get Well Soon-picture. He was all aflutter when April gave it to him. And I am going to bring Mrs. Sparkling Hair to him when I finished writing this letter. I bet this will make him feel even more better._  
 _Thanks for doing so much for Mr. Beam, Madelyn. I really appreciate it. As does Mr. Beam.  
_ _See you on Friday!_

_Yours,  
_ _Mr. Turtle_

Leo put the letter into the envelope and tucked it under his belt. He would bring it to April as soon as it was dark.

He felt a little bad that he had to lie to Madelyn about this disease, but he and April had decided it would be best to keep her away from the lair. So this counted as a white lie, and white lies were okay.

He sighed nonetheless.

But then he looked over to his shelf where he had placed Madelyn's doll together with all his "Space Heroes"-stuff which really looked a bit odd, but who cared? He loved "Space Heroes" and he loved Madelyn, so it was totally okay.

With a smile he reached for Mrs. Sparkling Hair and gently took her in his hand before he left his room and walked over to Mikey's room.

* * *

"Look at this, Hugo!" Mikey said to his teddy bear.

Mikey was sitting on his bed with his beloved teddy bear on his lap. The youngest turtle was holding Madelyn's picture in his hand and showed it to Hugo.

"Isn't this the most beautiful picture a little girl has ever drawn? Oh, I love it!"

There was a knock at the door and Leo popped his head in.

"Hey there, Mikey!"

Mikey looked at him for a moment, but then twisted his mouth.

"You forgot got knock!" he said reproachfully.

Leo blinked. "I did knock."

"But you forgot to wait until I ask you in!" Mikey replied. "So back to the start, Leo!"

Leo heaved a sigh, thinking about how maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to teach Mikey some basic manners, and closed the door again.

He knocked, but there was no answer. He rolled his eyes and waited. And at the moment he thought that maybe he should knock again, Mikey said," Come in!"

Leo choked a chuckle. So Mikey had just taken his time to ask him in for punishment reasons.

"Hello, Mikey!" he greeted his little brother once more. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," Mikey replied.

Leo looked at the picture Mikey was holding.

"And I'm seeing you're admiring Madelyn's picture again."

"Of course I am!" Mikey said. It's a marvelous pic! I love it!"

"Well, then I hope you are going to love this just as much," Leo said and handed Mikey Mrs. Sparkling Hair. "Madelyn asked me to bring Mrs. Sparkling Hair to you so that she can cheer you up!"

Mikey's jaw dropped as he saw the doll. And she was wearing the nurse-outfit Mikey had designed for her, too!

"Awwwwwwwww, look at that!" he called out and took the doll. "Well, hello, Mrs. Sparkling Hair. It's wonderful to have you here. You remember Hugo, right?"

And with that, Mikey started playing with Mrs. Sparkling Hair and his teddy bear.

Leo watched this for a few moments and then decided that he could just as well leave. Mikey was in his own little world now anyway.

* * *

April was hefting two big bags of supplies for their tea party home. Geez, Leo was so going to take over her cleaning duty at home for a week for this! He'd leave the planning to Madelyn, alright. But that meant carrying home boxes full of garlands and balloons and paper plates for her. Seriously, Leo!

She had just reached the door of their apartment and really didn't feel like putting down the boxes to search for her key in her messenger bag. Putting them down would mean lifting them again. Just no.

So she raised herself on her tiptoes and rang the doorbell with her nose. She waited for a few moments, but there was no reaction.

_Oh, come on, Dad! My arms are about to fall off!_

She rang the doorbell once more with her nose, but still no reaction.

With a frustrated growl she finally put the bags down and got her key out from her messenger bag. She opened the door and then reached for the bags, taking a deep breath before she heaved them again and stumbled inside.

"Dad? Haven't you heard me?" she asked as she kicked the door shut again. But still no response. "Dad?"

She put the bags down in the hallway, making a mental note that she would definitely not carry all at once over to her room before she went looking for her father.

"Dad?" she asked again, but he wasn't in the living room. So she went to the kitchen – only to find a note on the fridge.

_At Joseph's. Dinner's in the fridge. See you later!_

April sighed as she opened the fridge and got the food storage box out that contained her meal. As much as she loved the fact that her father had found a friend, it meant another evening alone at home for her.

Well, she could visit the guys of course, but she had a bunch of homework to do, and although she really appreciated Donnie's help, it could lead into one of Donnie's monologues about the pros and cons of taking notes before writing an essay or writing it down right away, and seriously, Donnie's monologues left Irma's in the dust. She knew from experience.

And she really wasn't in the mood for either.

So she put her meal into the microwave and braced herself for an evening alone at home.

Well, she could at least give Donnie a call later. Or Irma. Or maybe both.

* * *

"Very good, Madelyn!" Leo praised the little girl as she managed again to squirm free of his grip.

It was Friday evening and he and Madelyn were having one of their training sessions while April was tapping away on her laptop, finishing the newest chapter of their "Unicornia"-fanfiction.

"Let's try this once more, and then we take a little break."

Madelyn nodded and held out her hand. Leo took her wrist into a not too tight grip.

Madelyn furrowed her brow in concentration before she twisted her wrist, so that he had to let go of her.

At the first feeling of counteraction, Leo let go. He would rise the difficulty level later. Madelyn need to internalize the basic movements first.

At least that was what Splinter had suggested, and Leo – still a little insecure about Madelyn's training plan – had decided to stick at it.

"Okay, let's take a break," he said with a smile, and he and Madelyn went over to April and sat down on her blanket.

Leo reached for the thermos bottle and the plastic cups and poured some tea for himself and Madelyn.

Madelyn twisted her mouth a little when he handed her her cup, although she mumbled a polite "thank you".

Leo frowned a little, but then it hit him.

"Oh, you can pour the next cups, I promise!" he said quickly. He had forgotten how much she loved being the little host.

"Okay!" Madelyn replied with a beam.

Leo reached for the "Space Heroes"-art book Madelyn had brought along today. They had already spent half an hour looking over it before they had started their training session.

But Leo just couldn't help himself. He needed to have another look at it. It was so amazing!

He made sure he didn't get his cup of tea too close to it. He didn't want to ruin it by spilling tea over it.

But when Madelyn moved a little closer to sit next to him, spilling a bit of her tea, Leo decided he better removed the book to a safe place.

Sure, it was _Madelyn's_ book, but it didn't need to get stained when he was around. It would break his heart. So he placed the book in April's messenger bag and then put an arm around Madelyn's shoulders.

He then whispered something into Madelyn's ear and they both leaned in a little closer to April and tried to peek at the laptop screen, but April literally jumped and shut her laptop closed.

"No peeking, you two!" she called out. "It's not finished, and it's stupid, and I need to reread it!"

"Well, whatever you say, _Miss Green_ ," Leo replied with a grin and sat back as did Madelyn.

April looked from him to Madelyn and then back to him, as both gave her their most innocent looks. She twisted her mouth, eyeing them closely before she opened her laptop again.

One more warning look and she started typing again.

"April, why do you call yourself 'Miss Green'?" Madelyn asked all of a sudden.

"Oh, it's just my penname, Madelyn," April explained. "I'm kind of used to it. I use it in the photographer's message board as well."

"Ah, okay. "Madelyn nodded. "So it doesn't mean that you want to marry Mr. Turtle one day?"

"W-what?" April's eyes widened in surprise as did Leo's.

"Or Mr. Beam or Mr. Red or Dr. Donnie," Madelyn continued. "They are all green, so I thought you call yourself 'Miss Green' because…" She stopped mid-sentence. "No, you're right. That will be 'Mrs. Green', then."

April still looked at her with her eyes wide.

"You like green, don't you, April?"

"Well, o-of course."

"So you like Mr. Turtle and his brothers, right? Because they are all green."

April quickly turned her head to Leo, seeking help, but Leo was just watching this scene with a smirk now. This was just too amusing!

"Of course I like them," April replied as she turned back to Madelyn. "But because we're friends."

"So, you like them because they're friends and green or because they're friends, although they're green?"

If April's eyes would have been able to grow any wider, this would have been the moment.

"I…I like them because…" She hesitated. "I like them because I like them, okay?"

She forced herself to grin, although this grin turned out pretty wry and insecure.

Madelyn eyed her up for a moment, but before she could say anything, April thought it was time she did something to get the little girl's thoughts elsewhere.

"W-wanna hear what I've written so far?"

Madelyn's face lit up immediately and she nodded eagerly.

"I thought you need to reread it," Leo chimed in, his voice sounding way too amused.

"Rereading is overrated!"

"And I thought it was stupid."

"Well, no better way to find out than to get my favorite readers' opinions on it." She smiled at him, although her smile had a warning edge to it.

"But I…"

"Just listen, Leo!"

The smile had completely disappeared from April's face now and she glared at him with furrowed brows.

Leo choked a chuckle.

"Okay," he said then. "Will do."

April gave him one more warning look before she started reading.


	58. A Birthday and a Tea Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn attends Marcus’ birhtday party. And Mikey gets something he had never thought of.  
> This chapter takes place before "The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto", although it is hinting what is going to happen in that episode.

"Is that a 'Space Heroes'-art book?" Marcus asked as he had unwrapped the gift Madelyn had just given him. His jaw literally dropped. "Oh my gosh! That's awesome! Thank you, Madelyn!"

He beamed at his friend and placed the book on the gift table.

"I'm glad you like it." Madelyn smiled at him.

"I love it!" Marcus replied, grinning broadly.

But then another kid asked for Marcus' attention as she handed him her gift, and Madelyn was standing there for a few moments, unsure what to do.

She let her eyes wander over all the other kids there, and so many of them were holding gifts, so the chances were pretty low that she would have a chance to talk to Marcus any time soon.

She choked a sigh and stepped aside, looking for someone else she could talk to or play with.

There were kids playing blind man's bluff, but she wasn't in the mood for that game. Other kids were having fun playing cards or board games, but Madelyn didn't feel like playing any of those either.

She wanted to talk to Marcus about "Space Heroes" and drawing and superheroes, but there was no chance for that now.

She had hoped there would be more kids here she knew and liked, but there were only a few from the after-school care club, and among these few one was Marcus, the other was Billy, and the rest were other kids whom she had barely talked to. And talking to Billy was off limits for her anyway. Sure, he hadn't picked on her again after the incident with Mr. Turtle, but she still didn't like him that much. And who could blame her? He had given her a really hard time. At least he had apologized, but for Madelyn, this matter was settled with that. She wasn't looking to befriend Billy.

She could talk to someone else, though, but now that she thought of it, she didn't feel like talking to any of the other kids either.

She hugged herself in an attempt to make herself feel a little better, rubbing her upper arms gently, but it didn't help with the fact that she actually felt very forlorn here.

But then she set eyes on an empty table in the back of the living room where Marcus' mother had placed various painting utensils.

Madelyn gave a little smile. Now that was more like her.

And still smiling she walked over to that table, had a seat and grabbed paper and a few pencils.

* * *

She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, but suddenly, someone addressed her.

"Your name's Madelyn, right?"

Madelyn lifted her head and looked at the two girls standing next to the table and looking at her.

"Yes," Madelyn replied. "And you are Cynthia and Rachel, right?" She knew these girls. They were in her after-school care club, too.

The girls replied by nodding synchronously.

For a moment they looked at each other and Madelyn was unsure what she should do now.

"Well…uhm…," Cynthia stammered. "Do…do you mind if we join you? We always liked your pictures, but were afraid to tell you because we thought Billy would pick on us then too. But now that Billy is not picking on anyone any longer, we want to draw with you."

Rachel confirmed by nodding eagerly.

Madelyn looked at the two for a few more moments. What was that? They wanted to join her? No one had asked her that in months. Well, except for Marcus. She glanced over to her friend who still was busy accepting gifts.

"But if you don't want to, that's okay!" Cynthia said quickly. "We don't want to annoy you."

And with that she and Rachel were about to turn around.

"No, no!" Madelyn called out when she saw that. "That's okay! You can stay!"

But then she remembered what all the princesses did when asked for something like this, and actually what she had just said wasn't very princess-y.

"I mean I'd be honored," she added in a gentler tone. "Join me if you like."

She pointed at the chairs. "Please."

Cynthia and Rachel shared a look, then gave a relieved laugh and quickly sat down next to Madelyn.

* * *

When Mr. Dearing picked Madelyn up from Marcus' birthday party in the evening, he found his little girl all cheerful and happy. She was grinning from ear to ear and her eyes were glistening in excitement.

He smiled at her as he took her hand.

"So, did you have fun, Lynnie?" he asked as they were walking down the street to the nearest subway station.

Madelyn nodded. "Yes! It was so fun!"

"What did you do?"

"Cynthia, Rachel, and I drew a lot of pics and gave them all to Marcus' mom as a little thank you-gift for this awesome party. I think she liked them."

"I bet she did," Mr. Dearing said with a smile, remembering how the arms of Marcus' mother had been loaded with a bunch of paper when she had answered the door.

"Did Marcus like his gift?" he asked further.

"He loved it!" Madelyn replied. "And on Monday, during after-school care we can talk about it. I can ask him which his favorite pictures are, and then we can try to draw them again, using the art-book as a reference. And I can ask Cynthia and Rachel if they want to join because they really like drawing too. And maybe I can talk a bit about Mr. Turtle when Cynthia and Rachel are interested in superheroes. I haven't asked them about superheroes yet. We only talked about 'Unicornia' and our favorite unicorns. And I promised to bring them a print-out of the first two chapters of our fanfiction. And maybe Cynthia and Rachel want their own unicorns too, maybe Marcus too, and then we can have even more unicorns in our fanfiction. Daddy, I have to call April later. I need to ask her about more unicorns and if it is okay for her. And Daddy. I think I found new friends. And I think it's great that they both like 'Unicornia'…"

Mr. Dearing just watched smilingly as his daughter talked about this afternoon's events. And he choked a chuckle when he realized that she was talking so fast, she nearly forgot about breathing. Only when she didn't have another chance, she took one deep breath before she went on in her monologue.

* * *

"I'm here!" Mikey called out as he jumped into April's room through the open window, standing up into a welcoming pose with his arms wide open, but then he twisted his mouth when he realized April wasn't there.

"But I see you are not," he added a little disappointed.

"Maybe she is in the living room," Leo suggested as he climbed inside, followed by Donnie and an extra-grumpy looking Raph.

"Got it!" Mikey said with a grin and walked over to the living room.

His brothers shared a look, Donnie and Leo grinned while Raph just rolled his eyes as they followed suit.

"Hey, why is it so dark in here?" Mikey asked once he was in the living room. "Kirby, did you forget to pay your electricity bill or are you trying to save energy or…?"

That moment, the lights were turned on, and Mikey set eyes on a big banner saying "We're glad you're fine again, Mr. Beam!" in glittery letters. Madelyn, April, and Kirby were standing under the banner, all of them wearing glittery party hats. Mikey just looked at them wide-eyed.

"SURPRISE!" they called out.

"SURPRISE!" Donnie, Leo, and Raph chimed in, although Raph rather mumbled than called out.

Then the three of them joined the others under the banner, although Raph tried once again to fall back, but a questioning look from Madelyn made him roll his eyes and speed up a little. April handed them their own party hats, but Raph tried to hide his behind his back while Leo and Donnie put theirs on. April just cleared her throat and nodded her head into Madelyn's direction. This was when Raph realized the little girl was watching his every move closely.

"Okay, okay," he mumbled and put on his party hat. "I hope she's happy now."

And when he glanced at Madelyn, she was smiling at him and he couldn't help, but give the tiniest smile back.

Then they all looked at Mikey, waiting for a reaction from the youngest turtle.

But Mikey was just standing there, frozen to the spot, eyes as big as saucers, jaw dropped.

He looked around the room and realized the dining table was set with a tea pot, tea cups, two pies, and colorful plastic plates and funny looking napkins. He looked back at his friends and brothers.

They beamed at him, although they obviously were a little unsure what to do now after Mikey wasn't saying anything.

"It's a surprise tea party," Madelyn explained after a few seconds. "Because you're fine again."

Mikey just looked at her, blinking a few moments.

But then he seemed to have finally found his voice again.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

April choked a giggle. This must have been the longest aww! in world's history, she thought.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" Mikey made once more, after he had taken a deep breath, making it really hard for April to not giggle this time. "You…you shouldn't have!"

* * *

Two hours later, all the tea was drunk, the pies were eaten, and all the tea party-goers were enjoying themselves in their own ways. April and Donnie were brooding over April's trigonometry-homework, while Madelyn, Raph, Leo, and Mikey were playing Go Fish, seated on a blanket on the floor, and Kirby was watching TV on the couch.

When the doorbell rang, April immediately got up to get it. They all could hear muffled voices from the door, but didn't care much and instead continued what they were doing. Five minutes later April walked back in.

"Madelyn, your father is here," she announced.

Madelyn just looked at her.

"Doesn't Daddy want to come in?" she asked. "He and Kirby could drink a cup of tea together; we could brew another pot of tea."

April shifted a bit uneasily. "I'm sorry, Madelyn, your father said there is no time for that. He is quite busy."

"Oh, okay." Madelyn lowered her eyes, her face all sadness, but she put her cards aside nonetheless and got to her feet.

"We have to do this again soon!" Mikey said in his cheeriest voice, and pulled Madelyn into a tight hug. "Am I right, am I right?" He squeezed her, even tickled her a little bit to make that sad look disappear from her face, and finally, Madelyn giggled.

"You are, you are!" she said.

"I know!" Mikey announced and let go of her.

Madelyn was still giggling as she walked over to Leo and hugged him good-bye as well. She then continued to Raph and Donnie, but was too shy to hug them, so she settled for a hand-shake.

She then ran over to April and hugged her so lively, that for a moment, it looked like April would be tackled to the ground. But April was a kunoichi in training for quite a while now; she could handle some disbalancing just fine.

With a smile she patted Madelyn's head.

Then Kirby got up and walked over to them.

"Come, Madelyn," he said, holding out his hand to her. "I'll bring you to your father."

Madelyn let go of April, nodded, but before she took his hand, she waved at her mutant friends. Only then she let Kirby guide her out of the living room.

April simply flew back to her homework once they were outside.

Leo cleared his throat, but she simply ignored him, looking down into her book like it was the most interesting thing in the world. And we are talking about April and trigonometry here.

"April," Leo finally addressed her, and she shifted a bit uneasily in her seat again before she looked up.

"Yes?"

"Mind telling us what's going on?" Leo asked.

"Uhm…what do you mean?"

"Madelyn's father knows about us, so why won't he come in and say hello?" Raph chimed in. "I guess that's what Leo means."

"Uhm…well…" April's eyes darted around the room, looking for something she could make up, but then she let out a sigh, finally giving in and deciding to tell them the truth.

"Okay, it's like this," she said, "Mr. Dearing knows about you, that's right, but he's still somehow unable to cope with the fact that mutants are real. He just doesn't know how to handle you guys." She looked at them, biting her lower lip. "Yet, I mean. He is thankful for all you've done for him and Madelyn. I just talked to him about it, and he doesn't know what to say to you. He'll come around, I'm sure about that, he just needs a little more time."

Leo nodded thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. We'll give him the time he needs."

April smiled at him. "Thank you! I know he appreciates that."

"As for now," Leo continued, turning back to Raph and Mikey, with a serious, dutiful look on his face. "There is only one very important question remaining."

Mikey and Raph looked back at him wide-eyed, hanging on to his every word.

"Mikey," he addressed his youngest brother.

"Y-yes, Leo?"

"Do you have any eights?"

* * *

"Seriously, Leo," Mikey said when they were back on the rooftops later that night, "you can't ask questions like this in your fearless leader-voice! Sure I get confused and all!"

Leo chuckled. "But you have to admit, it _was_ funny."

"For you, it was!" Mikey replied.

"Indeed!" Leo confirmed, still chuckling.

Mikey twisted his mouth at that.

"Well, it's not that late, guys, what do you think of a patrol run with the Shellraiser?" Leo asked. "If you feel well enough for it, Mikey, of course!"

"Always!" Mikey replied, all cheerful again, something a ride in the Shellraiser always managed to do. Leo knew from experience.

"I'm in!" Raph said immediately.

"Me too!" Donnie agreed. "And as long as we don't knock something down, we should be home early enough so I can continue working on my latest project."

Mikey blew a raspberry. "Donnie, we're talking about Leo here. If he ever knocks something down, it'd have to be invisible!"


	59. So Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo ponders on how he still seems to act stupid when it comes to Karai.  
> This chapter takes place right after “The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto”.

He had been so close. So close! So freaking close!

This was all he could think as he got back to his feet.

He looked around. It hadn't been a long drop down, so his limbs were just a little sore, but he wasn't hurt badly. He looked over to his brothers who were picking themselves up. There were moans, but they looked okay.

"Anybody hurt?" he asked nonetheless. He was the leader. And as such, he was responsible for his team's safety.

"More or less," Donnie replied. "With big fat plus on the more-side."

"My head hurts," Mikey said.

"Not from too much thinking, I'm sure," Raph retorted which earned him an angry growl from his younger brother.

"I'm fine," he added into Leo's direction. "Just scratched my leg a little."

Leo nodded and looked back up to the roof where the Karai-dummy-bomb could have sent them straight into the afterlife. They had been lucky. Again.

He looked back to his brothers.

"Okay," he said, lowering his eyes. "Let's get back home."

"Leo, you know it's not your fault, right?" Donnie addressed him. "That we didn't save Karai, I mean. No one could have known that it wasn't her."

"I should have," Leo returned grimly. "And now let's get home."

He could literally feel how his brothers shared a look behind his back as he marched over to the next manhole cover in the side street they had landed in. But none of them dared to address him once more, and so they spent a silent walk back to the lair.

* * *

Yes, who should have known? Well, _he_ should have known! He was holding this stupid dummy in his arms, he listened to every word this stupid audio tape had said in Karai's voice, and still, he hadn't even had a clue that it hadn't been the real Karai. Heck, he knew her! He knew Karai best among his family members, and still, he hadn't realized that her body had been made of plastic and metal instead of flesh and that it had been a record the dummy had been playing all over again.

He was so stupid! Really, really stupid!

Of course Shredder wouldn't give up Karai so easily! Yes, she knew the truth now and he himself had said something about a dungeon which probably meant that her strike against Tiger Claw hadn't passed unpunished, but she still was his daughter in an awkward kind of way. Not his true daughter, that was for sure, but he had still raised her.

And if he didn't see her as his daughter any longer, he most probably would still see her as some sort of a lever against his mortal enemy.

Splinter.

Leo's thoughts drifted back to his sensei who had been all understanding and sympathetic when Leo had told him about their failure.

"It is okay, Leonardo," he had said. "I am positive that you did your best to get Karai back. And we _will_ get her back, I assure you."

Leo touched his shoulder where he could still feel the encouraging squeeze Splinter had given it.

But that didn't change anything about the fact that he had been stupid. So very, very stupid!

Why on earth would Shredder trade his daughter – or his lever, depending on the way how terms were between him and Karai right now – for his helmet? Okay, it was a precious helmet, something that most certainly was important to Shredder. But more important than Karai? No way!

And Leo should have known! He should have known!

He moved his hand to his face and covered his eyes, sighing deeply.

_Why did I have to be so stupid?_ , he thought. _I should have known all of this, I should have known, that it wasn't the real Karai. But, I was so happy to see her – okay, what I took for her – that I somehow stopped thinking clearly. Way to go, Leo! You could have gotten yourself and your brothers killed, just because you didn't think things through because…because…_

Because of what!? His feelings for her? Heck, he didn't even know what exactly his feelings for her were at the moment!

He once had had a crush on her, that was for sure, and he cared about her, that was for sure, too. And he refused to see her as his sister. That was for sure as well.

Karai being his sister? That was just stupid. A sister was a family member and Karai was far from that. They weren't blood related, they hadn't grown up together, so she just couldn't be his sister. She was his sensei's biological daughter, that was what she really was.

She was his sensei's daughter. And he had failed to bring his daughter back to his beloved sensei.

Leo gave a frustrated growl.

How was it even possible that his feelings for Karai still clouded his judgment?

He knew he shouldn't have _any_ feelings for Karai any longer aside from sympathy, but he just couldn't change it.

He had fought so long to hide those feelings from his family, but the moment Karai had told she believed him he had been so happy, way too happy for someone who just felt sympathy. And so he had led her right back to the lair – and nearly Tiger Claw with her.

And the moment she had stood up against Tiger Claw to save him, to save them, it had ignited this little spark of hope deep inside him once more.

And then, just a few hours ago, he had thought he had gotten her back, that he had saved her. And he had been too happy again about it, so happy that he hadn't realized that what he had been holding in his arms had just been a dummy – a dummy and a bomb. So stupid!

He needed to be a little more careful when it came to Karai now. He could get things straight between them _after_ he had brought her to safety. He could sort his feelings out then. He could find out then if he had a chance with her or not, if he still wanted to have a chance with her or not.

There was one thing he knew for sure at the moment: He needed to concentrate more when it came to Karai. He knew that she could still make him blush with just one word from her lips, he knew that she could still make him stammer, he knew that he would always try to act cool in front of her. And that was the reason why he needed to concentrate _extra_ when it came to Karai.

Because he needed to save her. For her own sake, for his sensei's sake, and only then, maybe, for his own sake.

Leo gave another frustrated growl. Okay, this wasn't getting him anywhere. He needed to calm down, he needed to get his thoughts elsewhere before he could even think of hatching a plot to free Karai.

And there was only one thing that could calm him down right now.

* * *

He took a deep breath when he had reached Madelyn's window. He was sure that the little girl must be asleep by now. It was in the middle of the night after all. He looked down at the pink tulips he had gotten from a flower shop fifteen minutes ago, and no, he hadn't stolen them. He had left the appropriate amount of money. Yes, maybe he had had to pick the lock to get in, but hey, it wasn't his fault this flower shop wasn't open twenty-four hours a day. On the other hand, if it would have been open that long, it would have meant that he couldn't have gotten the flowers because people would have been there.

He shook his head fiercely. What was it that he got lost in thought so easily tonight?

The important thing was that he hadn't stolen anything, and that was it.

And with that he checked the window. It was slightly open so he opened it completely and slipped inside.

He didn't make any noise or at least that was what he was thinking, when he walked over to Madelyn's small desk, but then he heard a noise.

"Mr. Turtle?" asked a very sleepy voice and the light of the bedside lamp was turned on.

Leo quickly turned his head and smiled at Madelyn who sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"I'm sorry, Madelyn," he said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I'm not dreaming?" Madelyn asked.

"No," Leo replied, his smile growing deeper. "I'm really here. I just wanted to bring you a gift because…" He thought about it. He couldn't say he had brought her a gift just like that. He needed a reason.

"Because you did such a great job on Mr. Beam's party," he added as he walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed, holding out the tulips to her.

Madelyn took them and smiled at him, but it was a sleepy smile, with her eyes half-closed.

"Thank you," she mumbled and placed the tulips on her pillow. "The party was awesome."

"It sure was," Leo said and stroked her head gently.

She then shifted closer to him and leaned against his side. Leo wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You should go back to sleep," he said, rubbing her arm. "I'll better leave now."

Madelyn shook her little head slightly.

"I'm...," – she yawned – "not tired. And I won't sleep as long as you're here."

"Uhm, okay," Leo said as he watched how she tried really, really hard to keep her eyes open, but failed. And moments later he could hear her calm breaths and knew she had fallen asleep.

That was okay. He hadn't come here tonight to talk or play Go Fish or do some training. He had come here to check on her, to listen to her breathing, to watch her little face in sleep, knowing that she was dreaming of unicorns and tea parties and spaceships, just knowing that she still was the little girl he knew, that he was still Mr. Turtle, that he still had a place to go to and not think about Karai and her capture or the safety of his team or how stupid he was sometimes. He had come here tonight to check that he still had his little haven. And the moment he had entered Madelyn's room all his negative thoughts had become less important. As long as little girls could dream of unicorns and have imaginary – or in his case not so imaginary – friends, the world wasn't that bad. Actually, the world was still turning.

At that moment the door of Madelyn's room was opened and Mr. Dearing popped his head in. His eyes widened in surprise when he found Leo sitting on Madelyn's bed with an arm wrapped around his sleeping daughter.

"Sorry, Mr. Dearing," Leo whispered. "I just wanted to check if Madelyn was okay."

Mr. Dearing's eyes darted around the room like mad, and he opened his mouth to say something when he set eyes on Leo again, but then he closed his mouth again, and Leo remembered what April had told them about Mr. Dearing still not being able to cope with the fact that mutants not only existed, but were friends with his daughter.

For a few seconds Leo thought of just tucking Madelyn in, getting up and talking to Mr. Dearing in the living room, explaining to him what he and his brothers were doing and that he didn't mean to put his daughter into any danger.

But the moment he had finished that thought he realized that Mr. Dearing must already know all of this. April and Kirby had already told him. And he thought that deep down inside Mr. Dearing already knew that it was the truth. He just needed a little more time to let this thought sink in completely, to be able to let some mutants into his life. And Leo would give him this time.

So instead of talking to him, Leo decided to just smile at Mr. Dearing as a sign that he didn't mean any harm, giving him the best innocent look he could muster up.

After a while Mr. Dearing just nodded and closed the door again.

Leo looked back at Madelyn, studying the peaceful look on her face.

"Mr. Turtle," Madelyn mumbled in her sleep and shifted even closer to him.

"Yes, Madelyn," Leo replied although he knew she couldn't hear him. "I'm here."

_And as long as I can be here, as long as I can be your Mr. Turtle_ , Leo thought, _things aren't as bad as I thought._


	60. New Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Dearing and Madelyn have a new pet. His name is Mr. Beepers.  
> This chapter takes after "Plan 10".

On his way back to the lair from Madelyn's in the early morning, Leo thought about Mr. Dearing.

Again, he convinced himself that Mr. Dearing just needed time and that they all should give him all the time he needed to find a way to cope with the fact that mutant turtles were real. And maybe later, no, better a lot later they could tell him what really was going on in this city with the Kraang and other mutants and evil ninja clans.

But if they told him right now, Leo was afraid Mr. Dearing's brain could explode.

And with that thought he slipped back into the sewers.

The problem with plans was that sometimes things took a completely different course than what one had planned for them.

Splinter had warned Leo once that plans never survived contact with the enemy, meaning that Leo and his brothers had to be able to react to the unexpected.

And it turned out that something totally unexpected had happened to Mr. Dearing. Leo had planned to give him enough time, he had planned how to tell him that they were alien brains in robot bodies out there _after_ he had given him all the time he needed to accept Leo and his brothers. Life, however, sometimes had other plans.

Leo realized when they checked on the newest Kraang invention in that warehouse and they all watched how the Kraang walked Mr. Dearing in as their test subject.

And there was one thing left to do then – rescue Mr. Dearing, act as normal as possible, because for once, they wouldn't have to care about stealth, and then they would just drop Mr. Dearing off, bring him someplace near his apartment and hope that he would still think of all of this as a dream.

And it had worked.

Well, after that they had to face a Kraang that had switched brains with Raph and had to find the real Raph, but they had worked that one out too.

So things were pretty much back to normal.

* * *

April thought the same thing when she was on her way to pick up Madelyn to bring her to school like she sometimes did.

She rang the doorbell and was a bit surprised when Mr. Dearing answered the door. Well, actually she wasn't surprised by Mr. Dearing, but the pigeon on his shoulders sort of startled her a bit.

"Hello, Mr. Dearing," she greeted him, watching the cooing pigeon closely, and she really had to pull herself together to look at Mr. Dearing when he greeted her back.

"Hey, April!" he said.

April mentally slapped herself. After all this brain-switching going on and Leo telling her that Mr. Dearing had switched brains with a pigeon for a little while, she really had been some sort of expecting that something had gone wrong and the pigeon would talk to her in Mr. Dearing's voice instead of Mr. Dearing himself.

But this was just an ordinary pigeon, she told herself, but she couldn't help to stare at it.

"W-what's with the little guy?" she asked, pointing at the pigeon.

"Oh, funny story," Mr. Dearing said. "I actually had a rather weird dream two days ago. And yes, it is official now, I am overworked. I had intended to just go to the supermarket for half an hour at the longest, but when I came back here, I realized that I had been gone for hours. Madelyn had been watching 'Unicornia' and fallen asleep, so she luckily hadn't realized anything. I must have fallen asleep on the way to the supermarket because I woke up on the sidewalk. And guess what, I dreamed about your special friends and some pink aliens in robot bodies, and how they switched my brain with that of a pigeon. Oh, and when I woke up this little guy here was resting on my chest. I guess he had been doing this for longer and that was the reason why I dreamed of being brain-switched with a pigeon." He tickled the pigeon's head. "And he refused to leave me after this, so Madelyn and I decided to keep him. He's called Mr. Beepers."

April had to bite her tongue. From what the guys had told her that was exactly the name Mikey had given the pigeon, but instead of saying something, she just stroked Mr. Beepers' chest gently.

"Hello there, Mr. Beepers!"

She knew what Mr. Dearing was thinking of the Turtles right now and that it maybe was too much for him to deal with all the other crazy things that were going on in this city. She and Leo had agreed that they would give Mr. Dearing his time. And Leo had told her what had happened to Mr. Dearing and how he had hoped that Mr. Dearing would think of all this as a dream.

_Mission accomplished, Leo_ , April thought.

At that moment she could hear approaching footsteps and moments later Madelyn came to a stop next to her father, schoolbag already over her shoulder and ready to go.

"Oh, you've already met Mr. Beepers," she said with a disappointed look on her face, but then she grinned at the pigeon. "Isn't he a cutie?"

"He most certainly is," April agreed and smiled at Madelyn.

Her father got on his knees, and Madelyn gave him a peck on the cheek.

The pigeon didn't even move the tiniest bit on Mr. Dearing's shoulder, and let Madelyn stroke his head and say good-bye to him.

_Looks like Mr. Beepers likes his new family_ , April thought with a smile.

Madelyn walked over to her and took her hand.

"Okay, Mr. Dearing," April said. "I'll bring Madelyn back at around six. And please try to get out of the office a little earlier today. You said yourself that you are overworked."

"I'll do my best," Mr. Dearing replied.

"Good. I don't want you to wake up with a unicorn resting on your chest next time," April replied with a wink.

"A unicorn?" Madelyn gasped. "We can have a unicorn, Daddy? Oh please, oh please!"

April looked at Madelyn who was bouncing in excitement.

"No, Madelyn, that was just a…joke."

The little girl glared at April. "One does not joke about unicorns, April!"

April looked to Mr. Dearing whom was biting his lip to prevent himself from laughing, and she knew that she was alone on this one.

"I-I'm sorry, Madelyn!" April said quickly. "Of course no one is allowed to joke about unicorns. But you have Mr. Beepers to take care of now, and a unicorn would be a lot of work, and maybe Mr. Beepers would become all sad if you spend all of your time with the unicorn."

"But I don't want Mr. Beepers to be sad!" Madelyn called out.

"See?" April said, as she gently guided Madelyn down the corridor with a quick good-bye-wave into Mr. Dearing direction.

Mr. Dearing just replied to this with a nod, and heck, that smirk on his face was way too smug for April's taste. She just twisted her mouth.

"But you still shouldn't joke about unicorns," Madelyn said reproachfully.

"I'm sorry!"

* * *

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Thank you for visiting me the other day. I was really surprised to see you, but it made me very happy. That night, I dreamed about us all having a tea party together in the park again._   
_And I am sorry I took so long with my reply this time. I talked to two girls from our after school-care club at Marcus' birthday party, and they are really nice and we drew pictures together and now we talk at school every day and have a lot of fun. They like 'Unicornia', too, and I try to talk them into watching 'Space Heroes', and they think the show sounds interesting._   
_Also, do you think I can show them our 'Unicornia'-fanfiction? I think they will like it and I really, really want to tell them about it. If you think it's okay, I can ask April, too, and she can make another printout. Or wait, we'll need two printouts._   
_I had so much fun at Marcus' birthday party, but I told you that at Mr. Beam's 'We're glad you're fine again'-tea party already, it's just that it still surprises me. I was afraid I would find no one to talk to at Marcus' birthday party. But I already told you that, too._   
_And Mr. Beam's surprise tea party was so much fun! I so love playing Go Fish and drinking tea with you all and talking to you. We have to do this again soon!_   
_And there's another reason why I was so busy the last days. When Daddy came home from the supermarket two days ago, he brought a pet pigeon with him. The pigeon was sitting on his shoulder and I first thought I was dreaming because I was sleeping on the couch when he came back, but no, there really was a pigeon sitting on his shoulder. And the pigeon refused to leave Daddy, so we decided to keep him. We called him 'Mr. Beepers' and he is so cute! I really like him. I can pet him and sometimes he even sits on my shoulder and watches me doing my homework or drawing or writing this letter to you, but most of the times, he's with Daddy. Only when Daddy goes to work, he insists that Mr. Beepers stays at home. And we always leave the window a little bit open so he can leave whenever he wants to, but when Daddy comes back home, Mr. Beepers is always waiting for him. I think Daddy likes Mr. Beepers. He always lets him sit on his shoulder and pets him and makes food for him. We even made a cute little bird house out of a cardboard box for him. And I think Mr. Beepers likes it because when he's not with Daddy or with me, he's in his bird house._   
_I think I never asked this before, but do you have any pets, Mr. Turtle? When I visited you when you were sick I couldn't find one, but you were sick, so maybe Mr. Beam was looking after it. If you have one, I mean._   
_I drew you a picture of Mr. Beepers, and he was watching closely when I did it, but he didn't even coo when I was finished, so I think he thinks it's okay._   
_I hope to see you soon, Mr. Turtle!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

Leo frowned a little when he read the part about the pigeon. April had mentioned that the pigeon seemed to have stayed with Mr. Dearing after the brain switching-incident when she had come over for training today and had handed Leo Madelyn's letter, and he still thought that this was weird. But on the other hand, they had switched brains, maybe this had made them get a little closer.

He sure hoped that didn't mean that Raph and this Kraang would start a friendship soon. But no, first, they were talking about Raph here, and second, the other brain involved had been that of a Kraang, one of their mortal enemies, so no danger here. Plus, Raph and this Kraang had fought each other when they had met again in their wrong bodies. Everything was fine.

And who was he to judge? He had tried to befriend a member of the Foot Clan back when Karai had still thought she was Shredder's daughter, so maybe he knew a thing or two about strange friendships. But weird friendships would never work for the Kraang. They tried to conquer this planet and mutate or kill every living being, while Shredder and the Foot were content with just killing Leo and his family.

Yeah, totally different matters here.

But this thought left the tiniest bit of a sour taste in his mouth.

And still, things had always been different between him and Karai.

_Karai…_

He quickly shook his head as the thoughts of her sitting in her dungeon and trying to figure how to get out of there or even worse, waiting for him, for them to rescue her, tried to take over, and he shook his head so hard that he had a little headache when he stopped after he was one-hundred percent sure he had managed to get these thoughts out of his head again.

And before they could try another attack on his brain, he reached for Madelyn's picture of Mr. Beepers, unfolded it and watched it with a smile. Now that was the cutest picture of a pigeon he had ever seen!

Still smiling, he went over to the wall were all of Madelyn's picture were hanging and added it to his collection.

He gently touched the paper where the pigeon's head was drawn.

_Remember, Leo, as long as you can be her Mr. Turtle, things aren't as bad as you thought._


	61. Not Totally Mad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo finally learns the truth why Raph has promised to take over his cleaning duty.

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I wish we all could have a tea party in the park one day, but I'm afraid this is not going to happen. It would be too dangerous for my brothers and me because we're superheroes and we can't show our faces in the park just like that. I am really sorry. But maybe we can have another tea party at April's soon. Do you have an idea what the theme could be? I think we need a theme after our victory-tea party and Mr. Beam's 'We're glad you're fine again'-tea party. What do you think?_   
_Don't you worry about your late reply, Madelyn. I totally understand. Sometimes, life gets in the way and we can't do things we really want to do because we lack the time. And I am very glad you found new friends._   
_Of course you can show our fanfiction to your friends. I don't see a problem with that. It is online and everyone can read it, so why not your friends? So you have my okay. And I am pretty sure April is going to be fine with it, too, and then you and your friends have some new things to talk about. That's awesome!_   
_Mr. Beepers sounds like a really nice pet. And you seem to have a good time with him. Your picture of him is absolutely gorgeous!_   
_No, I don't have a pet. Mr. Red had a pet turtle named 'Spike' once, but Spike accidentally fell into a kettle of magic potion and turned into a special turtle like me and my brothers. But something was wrong with the magic potion and that was the reason he was really mean and dangerous at the beginning. You actually know him. It is Mr. Bad Guy. But the potion seemed to finally have lost its effect on him because when we met him last time he was all nice and helpful again. Mr. Red was really glad to see that his former friend, then enemy has become his friend again. Friends are really important, you know._   
_So let me know what your friends think of our fanfiction if April gives her okay and don't forget to tell me what Mr. Beepers is up to and if you found a theme for our next tea party. There are so many things you have to tell me about! Can't wait for your reply!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

Leo reread his letter, unsure if the magic potion-explanation he had made up made any sense. But he couldn't exactly tell Madelyn about the mutagen and the Kraang, so a magic potion had seemed like the most logical explanation. Well, the most logical explanation from a little girl's point of view that believed in unicorns and magic and superheroes.

He needed to tell April about this beforehand, not that Madelyn asked her some questions and April told her something completely different because she didn't know anything about Leo's magic potion-explanation.

Yes, this should work, he thought, as he put the letter into the envelope.

* * *

"Aaaaaapril!" Madelyn called out as soon as she had left the apartment building and ran over to the teenage girl waiting for her on the sidewalk.

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadelyn!" April replied with a grin and greeted Mr. Dearing who left the apartment building after his daughter with a nod.

Mr. Dearing replied with a smile.

"Okay, I'll do some grocery shopping," he announced as soon as he had reached the two girls. "But I should be back long before you two get back. Have fun!"

"We will!" April and Madelyn called out in one voice and waved at Mr. Dearing before he turned around and left into the direction of the supermarket.

"So, Madelyn, ready for another photographer's walk?" April asked, patting the camera dangling on its sling around her neck.

"Sure am!" Madelyn nodded eagerly.

"Well then, let's go!" April called out, grabbed Madelyn's hand, and they walked down the street.

"Uhm, April?" Madelyn asked after a little while, remembering there was something she needed to ask April.

"Yes, Madelyn?"

"D-do you think I could show my two new friends our 'Unicornia'-fanfiction?" she asked shyly. "They are big 'Unicornia'-fans and I think they'll like it."

"Hmmmm," April made, twisting her mouth. "This is so unexpected. If only L…Mr. Turtle had told me something beforehand, I would have made some printouts already." She dug into her messenger bag and retrieved three bound stacks of paper, waving them casually. "But now I am _totally_ unprepared!" she added in a faked shocked voice.

Madelyn giggled. "So it's okay for you?"

"Of course it is," April said, putting the printouts back into her messenger bag because she couldn't put them anywhere else right now. "But I want to know what they think of it, okay? An author can't survive on readers alone. I need feedback! You gotta feed the author!"

The last sentence was added in a dramatic voice that made Madelyn giggle again.

"But three print-outs, April?" she asked then. "I only need two, one for Rachel and one for Cynthia."

"Well, I thought, maybe Marcus wants to read our fanfiction, too, because he is another one of your friends. Then you could have your own little reading club."

"But Marcus is no 'Unicornia'-fan," Madelyn tossed in.

"Not yet," April said. "Maybe he'll check the show out if you ask him to. I just thought it could be fun."

Madelyn nodded. "I'll try."

"Well, I think he's going to like 'Unicornia'," April said. "He's a 'Space Heroes'-fan like Mr. Turtle, and Mr. Turtle loves 'Unicornia', so I think Marcus is going to love it, too."

"Okay," Madelyn said. "Oh, by the way, April, maybe you could write a 'Space Heroes'-fanfiction, too, if Marcus doesn't like 'Unicornia', then I'll have something else to talk to him about. Or maybe we can add Captain Ryan to our fanfiction."

April's eyes widened. Another fanfiction? She was pretty busy with this one already, alongside school and training and vigilante-ing. And adding Captain Ryan to their fanfiction? Okay, she was pretty sure she couldn't do that. What would Captain Ryan do in 'Unicornia'? She mentally scratched her head. Well, maybe they could design a unicorn after him, one that had a thing for stars and astronomy and wanted to fly to the moon one day. Or maybe…

She mentally slapped herself.

_Hold your unicorns, O'Neil!_ , she scolded herself. _As you said before, you're already pretty busy with the one fanfiction you are writing! And there are at least three more chapters you can write with Madelyn's ideas! So HOLD YOUR UNICORNS!_

"Well…uhm…maybe," she said vaguely. "As long as you _feed the author!"_

She emphasized the last words in a dramatic voice again, and Madelyn laughed out loud when she heard it.

* * *

Leo woke with a start. He sat up and skimmed over his forehead as if he could simply wipe off what he had just seen in his dream. It was of no use, of course. And his heart stung uneasily when he remembered what he had seen in his dream – Karai, lying in the dungeon, Karai, hurt and bleeding, Karai, waiting for the time to make her move, Karai, waiting for her rescue.

He took a deep breath and glanced over at his alarm clock. Three o'clock. Still too early to get up, but he knew that he wouldn't find any more sleep tonight, so he turned on the reading lamp and got up.

He walked over to the wall with all of Madelyn's masterpieces. He knew he couldn't visit her right now, it was too late – or early – for that, but maybe looking at her pictures would make him feel a little bit better. His eyes got caught by Madelyn's picture of Mr. Beepers, and he gave a soft chuckle.

Knowing that Raph somehow had a thing for animals, and especially pigeons, he thought that maybe Raph would like the idea of Madelyn having a pet pigeon.

But while he was thinking about this, there was a gentle knock on his door. Leo frowned. Was it possible that he woke someone up?

"Yes?" he asked, and the door was opened and Raph popped his head in.

_Talk of the devil and he is bound to appear_ , Leo thought, _or rather: think of Raph._

"You okay, Leo?" Raph asked. "I couldn't sleep, so I got up to fetch a glass of milk, but then saw light in your room."

"I'm fine," Leo replied. "Couldn't sleep myself."

Raph looked his brother over. "I see. Wanna talk?"

Leo shook his head slightly. "Not about my sleep disturbances, I'm afraid."

He really didn't want to talk about this with Raph. It meant that they would sooner or later talk about Karai, and Leo knew what Raph thought of her. Raph still wasn't sure if he could trust her. His brother was stubborn when it came to letting someone new into his life, especially if this someone had once tried to kill his family. But coming to know that Shredder had thrown Karai into the dungeon had at least made him understand that Karai wasn't their enemy any longer. So when it came to rescuing her, Leo could totally count on Raph. But trusting Karai was a totally different matter, and Leo was afraid that Raph would never be able to trust Karai completely. But that was okay, as long as Raph could accept that Karai was on their side now.

"Okay," Raph replied. "What do you want to talk about then?"

Leo pointed a finger at Madelyn's picture of Mr. Beepers. "Can you believe Madelyn has a pet pigeon now? The pigeon Mr. Dearing was brain-switched with, stayed with him and now lives with them."

"No way!" Raph laughed. "A pet pigeon?"

"I thought you would like this because you like pigeons so much, considering how you trained them and all."

"Pigeons are great, but I would never want to have one of them as a pet. Think of all this mess and cleaning!"

The word "cleaning" somehow rang a bell, and Leo raised a brow.

"Speaking of cleaning," he said, "didn't you say something about taking over my cleaning duty for a week? Back when I was recovering from this poisoned knife-strike, you know."

Raph's face fell. "Uhm, yes, _that_ ," he said, chuckling insecurely. "Ha-haven't I already done this?"

Leo shook his head. "No, you haven't."

"Well, then, okay." Raph gave another insecure chuckle. "I'll do that next week, okay?"

Leo shrugged. "Sure. But I still don't understand why you want to do this for me."

"Would you believe that I was totally worried you'd never wake up and tried to make it easier for you by offering to take over your cleaning duty?"

Leo thought about that for a moment. "Hmmm, not completely. I know you'd go through hell for your brothers, fight until your last breath, but cleaning duty? Not so sure about that one."

"Uhm…" Raph fumbled for words. "What about…uhm…"

"What about telling me the truth?" Leo interrupted.

Raph exhaled loudly. "Well…uhm…okay. Remember what you dreamed that I said when you had these feverish dreams?"

"That you said you read Madelyn's letters and would take over my cleaning duty to make up for it?"

"Exactly," Raph replied.

They stood there for a few moments in silence, Leo waiting for Raph to speak up again, but when his brother didn't say anything else, he asked, "So?"

"Weeeeeeell, that's kinda, sorta what…uhm… _exactly_ happened," Raph stammered.

"You _read_ Madelyn's letters?" Leo's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm sorry, okay? I was afraid this could be a trap, that Madelyn could be fake or used by the Foot or the Purple Dragons, and I needed to check. I'm sorry."

Raph had lowered his eyes to the ground, shifting uneasily. Some more moments passed in silence, and he could feel fear rise inside him.

"Really sorry, okay?" he added in a low voice, looking up at Leo cautiously.

Leo had turned back to the pictures, thinking about what he had just heard. Raph had read Madelyn's letters, meaning Raph had snuck into his room and looked for them? But it somehow made sense. It was totally something Raph would do – trying to protect his brothers even if this meant doing something totally wrong like invading the personal space of one of them.

"I understand," Leo finally said.

"So you aren't mad?"

"Of course I'm mad!" Leo replied and turned to look at Raph. "I'm really, really mad, but I still understand why you've done it."

"Okay." Raph's voice was barely a whisper.

"And you're taking over my cleaning duty for two weeks. And I'll think of something else for your punishment. Understood?"

Raph nodded. "But then, we're good again, right?"

Leo replied with a nod of his own. "Of course!"

And he placed a hand on Raph's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks for trying to look out for me, Raph."

"Thanks for understanding," Raph replied. "And for not being totally mad."

Leo turned back to Madelyn's pictures. "So what do you think of the picture of Mr. Beepers?" he asked, tapping the paper gently. "Isn't it the cutest picture of a pigeon you've ever seen?"

"It's nice, but I think the beak is a bit too big."

"Raph, it was drawn by a seven-year-old girl!"

"So? The beak's still a bit too big!"

"Raph!"

"Yes, Leo?"


	62. Breaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While cramming for finals, April realizes how important breaks can be.

April was seated on the couch in the living room, burying her nose in her algebra book.

She could have been on another photographer's walk with Madelyn, but no, instead of that, Madelyn was sitting next to her on the couch and reading the latest of Leo's green letters.

When Mr. Dearing had called earlier today and asked if she could watch over Madelyn because he had an important appointment, she nearly had said no, but she just couldn't leave Mr. Dearing hanging. And her father would be home from work in an hour, so he could take care of Madelyn by then and April could concentrate on her studying. And she was lucky that Madelyn could be rather easy-care sometimes and that today was such a day. But really, she would prefer a photographer's walk over studying at any time – or training or meeting the guys later at Murakami's or going to the movies with Irma and Casey, but no, it was studying for her in the next days, if she liked it or not.

_Stupid finals, really_ , she thought.

She choked a sigh. Well, at least Madelyn had understood when April had told that she needed to study and couldn't play Go Fish or draw or go on a photographer's walk today, and Madelyn had just replied that she would read Mr. Turtle's letter then and write her reply.

But when she glanced over to Madelyn she found the little girl looking at her, but quickly turning her head back to the letter.

_Okay, maybe I haven't choked that sigh completely and Madelyn heard it_ , April thought with a mental shrug.

But when she looked back at Madelyn some time later, the same thing happened again.

April frowned. Did she have time to talk to Madelyn? Maybe she didn't, okay, but she was pretty sure she should have. Besides, this formula didn't make any sense anyway and seemed like a bunch of signs to her at the moment, so maybe the tiniest of breaks would do her good.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" April asked with a warm smile.

"N-no," Madelyn said quickly. "It's nothing, and you have to study."

"Well, I decided that I need a little break," April replied and put her book aside. "So, tell me what's wrong, okay?"

"Okay," Madelyn replied. "It's about Mr. Turtle's letter and what he said about Mr. Bad Guy. He says that Mr. Bad Guy once was Mr. Red's pet, but a magic potion turned him into Mr. Bad Guy and made him mean and dangerous, but then the magic potion lost its effect and Mr. Bad Guy is now friendly and nice."

April nodded. Leo had told her about his Madelyn-friendly version of Spike's/Slash's mutation when he had given her the letter.

"Yes," she said. "Is there something you don't understand?" She had thought that Leo's explanation was pretty good, but maybe Madelyn's unicorn and magic-loving brain had some problems with it.

"No, no, I understand all of it. It's pretty much what happened to Chrysanthemum in 'Unicornia', so it makes sense," Madelyn replied.

"So what's the problem?" April asked further.

Madelyn sighed and lowered her eyes. "I don't know what name to give Mr. Bad Guy now."

April had to bite down her tongue to not laugh out loud. That was so cute! Slash's turn into a good guy seemed logical to Madelyn, and she was worrying about Slash's new name. She needed to tell Leo about it. Maybe she could call him later – if her finals-cramming allowed it, though.

"Why don't you call him Mr. Good Guy?" April suggested.

"But he was bad once," Madelyn replied.

"Hmmm, okay, well then what about…" She thought about it for a moment, but all she could see when she closed her eyes were formulas. _Argh!_

"I'm afraid, I don't have any idea," she admitted then.

"Well, maybe I could call him Mr. Blue," Madelyn said then. "He has blue-ish skin."

April had no idea what exactly Slash looked like. She hadn't met him since his mutation. But from what she had heard from the guys and Casey, he really had blue skin now.

"Madelyn," she said with a smile. "I think that's the perfect name!"

Madelyn smiled. "Okay, then I am going to write my reply to Mr. Turtle now," she announced.

"Do that," April replied.

And when she took her book again and looked at the creepy formula she just had so many troubles to understand, it suddenly made perfect sense.

_Wow_ , April thought, _look what the tiniest of breaks can do…_

* * *

"But I still don't get it, Donnie!" April called into her Tphone and rolled her eyes to whatever her friend said.

"English, Donnie!" … "No, that was not English, that was Donnie-ish!" … "I know that's not a word!" … "You know what, Donnie, forget it! I'm coming over so you can explain it to me face to face! Bye!"

And with that she hung up. She took a deep breath and leaned back into her seat, staring at the ceiling of her room.

She had moved here when her father had come back home from work and had looked over Madelyn, thinking that she could learn faster here, but that just had been proven a mistake. She was just as fast or slow as she had been in the living room with Madelyn sitting next to her and writing her letter.

Her studying session had only been interrupted by Madelyn giving her her reply-letter to Mr. Turtle and saying good-bye and her father bringing her a sandwich and a class of milk. But aside from that, it had only been algebra, algebra, and algebra, and she had reached the point of seeing formulas everywhere by now – formulas that didn't make any sense. So she had called Donnie to clear things up for her, but while Donnie was usually pretty good in explaining stuff, he somehow hadn't been able to make her understand anything today. So maybe it would help if she could talk to him face to face.

She closed her eyes for a moment, flinched when all that she could make out in front of her mind's eye were formulas again and quickly opened her eyes again. She grabbed her algebra book and tossed it into her messenger back. Maybe a little walk was just what she needed right now. And given the fact how well the tiniest of breaks had worked when she had been with Madelyn, maybe she was right.

* * *

Leo was bent over some blue prints that were spread out on the floor of the living room. With a frown he looked them over and over again, searching for the best way to get inside. Shredder had mentioned that Karai was down in the dungeon, but there wasn't anything dungeon-like to be found in the blueprints, so he was a little lost here. While he knew how to get into the Shredder's lair, he had no idea which way to take to reach the dungeon.

He sighed.

That moment, April entered the lair.

"Hey there, Leo!" she greeted him as she walked over to him. "How are you doing?"

"As fine as I can be considering that fact that I am trying to figure out how to rescue Karai," he replied. "How about you?"

"As fine as I can be considering the fact that I spent all my free time cramming for finals at the moment," she replied and peeked over Leo's shoulder. "That the blue prints of Shredder's lair?"

Leo nodded. "But I can't find the dungeon or the way to it. I'm kinda lost here."

"And every time you close your eyes, you see blue prints, right?" April asked.

Leo's eyes widened. "How do you…?"

"It's the same with me and formulas at the moment," she explained. "And you know what? When you've reached that state, a little break works wonders." She dug into her messenger bag, retrieved a pink letter and placed it over the blue prints. "And if you'll excuse me now, I have to enter the genius' den to finally get these formulas away from before my mind's eye and into my brain. If I don't return, tell Madelyn I love her!" she said dramatically and marched over to Donnie's lab.

Leo watched this with a grin and waited until April had entered Donnie's lab before he reached for Madelyn's letter.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_I totally understand that we can't have a tea party in the park although it could be very nice. But I think it is a great idea to have another tea party at April's. Or maybe we can have one at my place and you all can meet Mr. Beepers! And yes, we definitely need a theme! What about a friendship-tea party? Because we are all friends, you know._   
_I asked April about showing our fanfiction to my new friends, and she already had print-outs because you talked to her before that. This was so awesome! I gave the print-outs to Cynthia and Rachel during the after school-care club today, and they said they will start reading when they are back home. I have one more print-out for Marcus, but I don't know what to tell him when I give it to him. I think it will be great if he starts to like 'Unicornia' too, but I don't how to ask him. Mr. Turtle, you are a boy and you like 'Unicornia', do you think Marcus will like it, too? And what can I tell him?_   
_Mr. Beepers is very cute. And it is so funny to hear him talk when he always says 'Coo, coo!' and I say 'Coo, coo!' back, and then I laugh and he makes another 'Coo!' And watching him eat is funny, too. All this pecking! I know he'll never fetch a ball, but I think he is a great pet nonetheless. I really like him! And he is so nice to Daddy._   
_Thank you so, so much! I'm glad you like my picture of Mr. Beepers. I can draw one of him and me and Daddy next time._   
_I had no idea that Mr. Bad Guy was Mr. Red's pet turtle! I hope Mr. Red isn't mad because I called his pet Mr. Bad Guy. And thank you very much for the explanation. Something similar happened to Chrysanthemum in 'Unicornia' although she never was a pet. She always was a unicorn, but this magic potion from the evil sorcerer made her evil, but when the potion lost its effect, she was all nice again and they could defeat the evil sorcerer with her help._   
_Please tell Mr. Red that I am sorry that I called his pet Mr. Bad Guy. I thought of a new name for him right away and then decided to rename Mr. Bad Guy Mr. Blue. I think it fits. What do you think?_   
_You are right, Mr. Turtle, friends are really important. I am really happy to have you as my friend._   
_See you soon, Mr. Turtle!_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

With a smile Leo put the letter aside. A friendship-tea party sounded like a great idea, and he loved the fact that Slash had been renamed into Mr. Blue. He just wasn't sure if he should tell Raph about it. On the other hand, Raph owed him after reading Madelyn's letters such a long time ago and not telling Leo anything about it, so maybe Leo could tell him without Raph getting angry or making fun of it. Maybe part of Raph's punishment could be addressing Slash as "Mr. Blue" next time they met him. And yes, maybe that was a really bad idea. Slash might have buried the hatchet when it came to his former owner and his family, but it could have contra-productive effects if they provoked him. So, yes, bad idea. But it was funny to think of Raph calling Slash Mr. Blue.

_Speaking of blue_ , Leo thought and turned back to the blue prints.

He again looked for a way that could lead down to the dungeon, but there were too many possibilities because the basement was simply non-existent in this blue print, although Leo knew it had to be there. But instead of getting exasperated with this fact like it had happened before, Leo just smirked.

_Well, if this blue print doesn't help us with rescuing Karai, maybe we have to make our own blue print._


	63. One-Hundred Percent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo comes up with an idea how to rescue Karai. But he isn’t sure if he can rely on Raph.

Mr. Dearing opened the door to a very exhausted and bleary-eyed looking April. Even Mr. Beepers who was sitting on his shoulder gave a "Coo?" that definitely sounded more like a question.

"Good" – April yawned – "morning, Mr. Dearing," she said, retrieving the green letter Leo had given to her when she had left the lair this morning after pulling a studying all-nighter with Donnie from her messenger bag. "I" – another yawn – "wanted to give you this for Madelyn." Mr. Dearing took the letter with a questioning look on his face.

"Sorry," April said then. "I can't stay any longer, have to rush to school."

And then she was just standing there, staring into space.

Mr. Dearing watched this for a few moments.

"April?" he asked then.

April didn't react, just kept standing there like she was frozen or turned into a statue.

"April!" This time Mr. Dearing added a little more force to his voice.

April flinched a little and then looked up to Mr. Dearing with blinking eyes.

"No, I can't stay for tea, Mr. Dearing," she said then. "I have to rush to school. Learning session with some friends."

"April, are you sure you are okay?"

"Yes, I am…" – one more yawn – "fine."

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Depends. Which day's today?"

"Thursday."

"On Tuesday."

"April, I know I'm not your father, but I don't think it's good when you work yourself to the ground."

"Finals time, Mr. Dearing," April explained. "We all look like zombies right now. Well, the ones who care at least."

She remembered the big and all too happy grin on Casey's face yesterday. It had been so cheerful and Casey had looked so fresh and rested that she had felt the urge to punch him in the face. She had rethought that, though. Her reflexes weren't the best at the moment.

"I see," Mr. Dearing said. "But promise me that you'll get some sleep tonight. A few hours, okay? Or else I might have to call your father."

"Okay, Mr. Dearing," April said. "Bye, Mr. Dearing."

"Bye, April!"

But again, April was just standing there, staring into space.

"April?"

"Wh...what?" April shook her head slightly. "Sorry, Mr. Dearing, I can't stay for tea, I have to rush to school."

"I see."

"Well, okay, bye!"

And with that April finally managed to turn around and leave.

So this was what you got for pulling a studying all-nighter with Donnie. You fell asleep while still standing and with your eyes open.

* * *

Well, at least April didn't know how fresh and rested Donnie looked when he and Leo were working on a plan to rescue Karai – or else she might have felt the urge to punch him in the face as well, because Donnie looked like he had the most relaxing ten hours of sleep while in reality he didn't sleep a wink.

"So, Donnie, what do you have?" Leo asked, bending over the blue prints on Donnie's work desk.

"Well, according to your idea of making our own blue print, I looked up the blue prints of the surrounding buildings of Shredder's lair, and they all seem to have basements. And according to the sewers' map, there's a tunnel under Shredder's lair, so the possibilities for a dungeon narrow it down to this," Donnie explained, pointing at the new blue print he had made of the abandoned church that served as Shredder's lair. "The dungeon can only be this big due to the limitations given by the other buildings and the tunnel underneath."

"Well, I'd say that's something we can work with," Leo said with a nod. "Good job, Donnie!"

"Thanks!" Donnie grinned. "And I assume that the staircase leading to the dungeon can only be here." He tapped the corresponding spot on the blue print. "Everything else would be rather problematic due to statical calculation."

"And you said there is a sewer tunnel underneath, so maybe we can even use that to our advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"The sewers are our territory, not Shredder's. And if we find a way inside through the sewers, it would be a lot safer than going in through the front door."

Donnie shook his head slowly. "You have a point. But first, we should make sure that there really is a way inside through the sewers."

"Of course," Leo said. "We are going to check this out tonight."

Donnie nodded. "By the way, what gave you the idea to look for a way into the dungeon by reconstructing the dungeon with the help of the surrounding buildings?"

Leo grinned. "A little break."

* * *

_Dear Madelyn,_

_Thanks for your understanding. And I totally love the idea of a friendship-tea party. You are right. We are all friends. So a friendship-tea party is going to fit. This is such a great idea, Madelyn! Let's have a friendship-tea party._   
_So what did your friends think of our fanfiction? Did they like it?_   
_You are right. I am a boy and I like 'Unicornia', so yes, I think Marcus might like it as well. But there's only one way to find out: Ask him. Just tell him that you like 'Unicornia' and if he knows it, and if he doesn't, tell him what it is about. And then ask if it sounds like something he might like._   
_I would love to have a picture of Mr. Beepers, you, and your Daddy. Please draw one for me!_   
_Mr. Beepers is an awesome pet. And believe me, pets don't always have to fetch balls. Just think of Mr. Red's pet turtle. Spike never fetched a ball, but Mr. Red thought he was the most awesome pet in the world._   
_I know you would understand what has happened to Mr. Red's pet, and I like the idea to call Mr. Bad Guy Mr. Blue now. It fits._   
_I don't remember the episode with Chrysantheum. I think I must have missed that one. I am going to look the episode up later. I bet it's a great episode. What you told me so far sounds really promising. Can't wait to watch it!_   
_We have a very important mission ahead of us, so I am not sure when I will get the chance to write you again. I'm sorry. But I am going to write you, believe me. I just don't know when exactly yet._   
_And after this important mission we can have our friendship-tea party. This is going to be great!_

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

Madelyn put the letter back into her school bag and glanced over to Marcus who was sitting at a table in the after school-care room and reading the "Space Heroes"-art book he had gotten as a birthday present from Madelyn. She frowned a little. She still had the print-out for him in her school bag, but she couldn't just walk over there and give it to him. She didn't know if he liked "Unicornia" or not. As Mr. Turtle had said, she needed to ask him.

And suddenly she felt very shy. But then she took a deep breath, straightened and walked over to Marcus.

"Hello, Marcus!" she greeted him.

"Hi, Madelyn!"

"I…uhm…I wondered if you know the TV show 'Unicornia'? It's my favorite TV show besides 'Space Heroes' and I thought that maybe you know it because we both like 'Space Heroes', so maybe we both like 'Unicornia', too. And if you don't know it, it's about this beautiful land that is inhabited by unicorns and they can talk and do magic and…"

Marcus interrupted her by beckoning her to move closer to him. With a questioning look in her eyes, Madelyn obeyed.

"I know 'Unicornia'," Marcus whispered. "But it's a little girl's show, and I am afraid if I say that out loud, Billy and his friends are going to make fun of me again."

Madelyn glanced over to Billy. The boy had kept a low profile after his encounter with Mr. Turtle, but that didn't mean he wouldn't start teasing his classmates again if he got the chance. So she understood.

"I see," she whispered as she turned back to Marcus. "But do you like 'Unicornia'?"

"I love it!" Marcus said silently.

"Okay." Madelyn nodded. "April, Mr. Turtle, and I are writing a 'Unicornia'-fanfiction. You know that's a story written by fans of the show. And we all have our unicorns, and people like it. And I wanted to ask if you want to read it too. April gave me a print-out."

Marcus looked around them to make sure no one was listening.

"Yes, I want to read it," he said with a nod. "But you have to give it to me in secret. And we need a code name for 'Unicornia'."

"I see," Madelyn said. "How about 'Unique'?"

"That's awesome! You are so good at naming stuff, Madelyn!"

Madelyn blushed a little. "Thanks," she mumbled, as she walked away to get her school bag.

She then sat down next to Marcus and placed her school bag on the floor. She retrieved the print-out and handed it to Marcus under the table.

And when their hands accidentally touched, Madelyn blushed even more.

* * *

With a smile on his face Leo was on his way back to his room after tonight's recon mission. He was pretty sure that they had found the perfect place to sneak into the dungeon through the sewers. So the next step was to come up with a plan to rescue Karai. And all of a sudden, things didn't seem so dark any longer.

But when he looked at Raph who was disappearing into his own room, Leo frowned.

Raph had been so quiet during the whole mission. Leo knew that he still had problems with Karai. He was afraid that she could betray them. But Leo needed to know if he could count on Raph for the rescue mission. He needed to know right now.

* * *

Raph was already sitting on his bed, reading a magazine when there was a knock at his door.

"Yes?" he asked, and Leo entered.

"Hey there, Raph," he said.

"Hey there, Leo. Long time no see," Raph replied with a grin. "That must have been at least _two minutes_."

"Haha, very funny," Leo said, but then he sighed. "I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" Raph asked and put his magazine aside.

"Well, about rescuing Karai, I…I need to know if I can count on you. I know you have your problems with her and you don't trust her and…"

Leo was silenced by Raph lifting his hand.

"I don't know if I should be hurt right now or not," Raph said. "But I am the tough guy, so I settle for 'not hurt'."

He looked at his brother for a moment.

"Leo, you should know me better than that," he said then. "You can always count on me – even if this would mean you leading us right into a trap, but I would follow you nonetheless. I might say, 'I told you!' a few times, but I would still follow you. You are our leader, Leo, and more importantly, you are my brother. I would never let you down. So yes, you can count on me for the rescue mission. You can completely count on me."

Leo gave his brother a slight smile. "Thanks, Raph."

"You're welcome."

But then a smirk appeared on Raph's face. "But if you want to be one-thousand percent sure, you could dispense me from taking over your cleaning duty for a week."

Leo crossed his arms over his plastron. "Raph, you were the one who did wrong by reading Madelyn's letters, and you wanted to take over my cleaning duty to make up for it. And I'm still thinking about the other part of the punishment."

"Well, you could dispense me from that."

"Raph!"

"Just saying, Leo," Raph replied with a mollifying gesture. "But as it looks like you are not in a giving mood today, you'll have to do with the usual one-hundred percent."

Leo smiled. "One-hundred percent sounds fine to me. Thank you, Raph!"

"Don't mention it," Raph replied. But then the smirk faded and he added in a serious voice, "And never forget that I'll always give one-hundred percent for my family, even more, if I can."

Now it was Leo's turn to smirk. "Unless there is some cleaning duty involved."

Raph shrugged with a chuckle. "Well, Leo, there's a limit to everything."


	64. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Karai’s mutation, Leo feels down and lost. Madelyn has a special way of reminding him that he still has friends who care about him.

When they were back at the lair, Splinter went right to the dojo.

Leo had no idea if it was wise to let his sensei be on his own right now – now that he had lost his daughter for the second time. Or was it the third time? He had thought he had lost her in the fire, then he had found out she was alive, but that he had lost her to the Shredder, and now he had lost her to the mutagen. So yes, actually, it was the third time.

For a second, Leo thought of following Splinter, but something told he that his sensei needed to be alone right now, be it wise or not.

And so Leo let himself slump down on the couch. He felt hollow and weak, completely powerless. He felt like crying, but what would that change? Tears had never helped anyone.

He could see from the corner of his eye how his brothers sat down next to him, but they didn't say anything, were just sitting there, silent. And seriously, what were they supposed to say? There wasn't anything to be said. Actually, there wasn't even anything to be done. At least, not now. The sun would go up in a few hours, and they were all tired and exhausted and needed to rest, so they couldn't even start looking for Karai right now.

Leo closed his eyes for a moment, choking a sigh. This was a mess!

When he opened his eyes again and lifted his head for a moment, he saw from the corner of his eye how Raph was glancing at him before he quickly turned away again.

And then Leo realized why his brothers really were here. They weren't here because they needed comfort or needed to know that the others were still there, like it had been after their encounter with Shredder or after losing Leatherhead, no, they were here because of him. It made sense. He was the one closest to Karai. Of course his brothers wanted to be sure, he was okay. Or the okayest he could be at the moment.

And he knew they wouldn't go to bed before he did. And while he wasn't sure if he could find any sleep tonight, he knew his brothers really needed it, so he heaved himself up.

"I'm going to bed," he announced tonelessly.

His brothers nodded.

"Okay," Donnie said, and the others got up as well.

* * *

Leo waited in his room for about half an hour, lying on his bed and listening how his brothers disappeared in their rooms. And with the same certainty he knew his brothers needed some rest, he knew that he needed something completely different. He waited another half hour before he got up again.

But the moment he had opened his door and stepped into the corridor, Raph opened his door rather quickly as well and looked over to his older brother.

This action brought the faintest reflection of a smile on Leo's face.

Typical Raph, always looking over his brothers. He had probably been listening at his door if Leo was staying in his room.

Raph looked at him worriedly. Leo returned the look calmly, mouthing a name. He didn't want to speak up and risk waking Donnie and Mikey.

It took Raph a moment to understand, but then he nodded.

Leo just nodded back and left.

* * *

Madelyn knew something was wrong. She knew it the moment her window was opened and someone jumped inside silently. It wasn't this movement that had woken her up, she had woken up minutes before that with the uneasy feeling that something wasn't quite right.

She turned on her bedside lamp.

"Mr. Turtle?" she asked.

Leo did his best to smile at her, but failed miserably. "Hello, Madelyn. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You haven't," Madelyn replied as she sat up. "Something is wrong, right?"

Leo nodded and sat down on the floor. He looked into Madelyn's sweet, innocent and now so concerned face. He wanted to tell her how this girl he really liked had fallen into the magic potion and had turned into a snake, and how he had no idea right now how to find her and if they could turn her back, and that everything seemed so dark and hopeless right now. He opened his mouth, but no words made it past the lump in his throat. Instead, the tears burning behind his eyes fought even harder to break free, and he couldn't hold them back any longer. When the hot tears started running down his cheeks, he buried his face in his hands.

He heard Madelyn gasp and her small feet hitting the floor as she ran over to him. And pretty soon she had climbed on his lap, and her hands grabbed his wrists, and she gently forced him to take away his hands from his face. Then she started drying his face with the sleeve of her night gown which was kind of useless as more and more tears were running down his cheeks, but Madelyn continued her task unwaveringly.

"There, there, Mr. Turtle," she said softly. "Please don't cry. It's not that bad."

_Yes_ , Leo thought, _remember, as long as you can be a little girl's Mr. Turtle, things aren't that bad._

But it didn't help with the fact that things seemed very, very bad at the moment, and more tears started running down his cheeks.

* * *

April awoke the next day and wasn't sure what day it was. After finishing her last final and arriving back home, she had fallen into what she called her "post-finals-coma". Last time it had lasted for fourteen hours, but this year the finals had been even worse, so maybe she was up to twenty-four hours or even more now.

She reached for her Tphone on her bedside table, wanting to check the time, but then realized that the battery must have died.

With a groan she got up to get the charger from the drawer of her desk, but as soon as she had plugged it in and turned the phone on again, she was greeted by a quick series of beeps, announcing all the messages she had missed. Fifteen missed calls from Donnie? _Fifteen?!_ And seven text messages telling her to please call him back?! Something terrible must have happened. But on the other hand, if it had been that urgent the guys would have showed up here. So what was going on?

She quickly went through the last thing she had heard from them, before her Tphone's battery must have died unnoticed by her, which could have been yesterday or two days ago or maybe even more. She had no idea. Donnie had told her in a text message that they had been able to rescue Karai and she had allowed herself to think about what it would be like to have Karai around in the lair for like fifteen seconds before the all too familiar finals-stress had kicked in again, so she had just replied with a quick "okay".

There only was one way to find out, she thought, and dialed Donnie's number.

"Hey, Donnie!" she said as soon as he picked up. "Sorry I missed your calls, I sort of went into coma now that the finals are over. What happened?"

And whatever Donnie said made her eyes widen in shock.

"I'll be right there."

* * *

Madelyn and April were strolling the park on one of their photographer's walks. April had promised that the first free afternoon after her finals, they would go for a photographer's walk, and that was this afternoon.

But the teenage girl was very absent-minded, thinking about her day at the lair where Splinter hadn't come out of the dojo and the guys had been lounging around in the living room. They had talked about where to start looking for Karai and that they would have to split into two teams to be more effective and that they would begin their search close to Baxter's lab. This was the reason they had decided to wait until tomorrow night because right now, the media could still be around there somewhere. Or curious gawpers. Or maybe both.

April had been so concerned about what had happened, she hadn't even objected when Leo had teamed her up with Casey and Donnie for tomorrow's search, although she truly didn't like the look those two had shared. But well, if they overdid it, she could still give them a piece of her mind.

"April?" Madelyn asked all of a sudden. "Are you okay?"

April snapped out of her trance. "Yes, Madelyn, I'm sorry. I was just…thinking."

"About Mr. Turtle?" Madelyn asked.

April looked at her. "In a way, yes. But how do you know?"

"I know he is very, very sad at the moment," Madelyn replied, lowering her eyes. "He showed up at my place yesterday night and he was crying all the time. He couldn't even tell me what happened. He was so, so sad."

April frowned when she saw tears glistening in Madelyn's eyes.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry!" she said quickly. She forced Madelyn to stop and kneeled down, placing a hand on her little shoulder. "Mr. Turtle is sad, yes, but he will come around. He's strong, you know. He's a superhero."

Madelyn nodded. "But what made him cry, April?"

"Well…uhm…" April thought of a Madelyn-friendly version of what had happened. "A…uhm…very good friend of Mr. Turtle fell into the magic potion, and now she has turned into a snake. She was a human first, you must know. And she was shocked by her looks and ran away, and now we can't find her. And this makes Mr. Turtle sad. He is worried about her."

Madelyn bit her lower lip, thinking about April's words, and an idea formed in her head.

"April, can we cancel our photographer's walk? I think we have something more important to do."

"S-sure," April said quickly. "But what do you mean?"

"You'll see."

* * *

This night, Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph climbed into April's room through the open window.

"April?" Leo called out when he found the room empty.

"Living room!" came April's reply, and they walked over there.

But the moment they entered the living room, they all stopped rooted to the spot.

"What the…?" Leo managed to say when he found the room decorated with a big banner that said "FRIENDSHIP". The table was set for a tea party, and Madelyn and April were looking at him expectantly.

He was still looking around the room when Madelyn walked over to him.

"I'm sorry there were no written invitations this time, Mr. Turtle," she said. "And the decoration isn't very fancy either, and we don't even have party hats, but April and I didn't have much time to prepare this tea party. I hope that's okay."

Leo was still a bit confused. "Well, of course, but what…what's this about?"

"It's our friendship-tea party," Madelyn explained. "April told me that you can't find your friend and that this makes you sad, and so I thought that maybe we should have our friendship-tea party now to show you how many other friends you still have. And maybe it will cheer you up to see that there are other people who care about you and maybe her loss won't hurt so much when your other friends are here." She gasped for air after saying this in one breath.

Leo was fumbling for words, but he had no idea what to say, so instead of saying something he just kneeled down and pulled Madelyn into a tight embrace.

Madelyn was a bit surprised at first, but then she hugged him back just as tightly.

* * *

Later that night, Leo glanced over to Madelyn who was chatting with her Mr. Red about Mr. Beepers, telling him about the different coos Mr. Beepers used to express different things. And Raph brought in his expertise on pigeons, giving Madelyn a few tips what a pigeon needed. On the whole, Raph was in a rather good mood, now that he wasn't forced to wear a party hat.

Leo just smiled as he took another sip of green tea.

_Remember, Leo_ , he thought again, _as long as you can be Madelyn's Mr. Turtle, things aren't that bad._ And as he looked at everybody around the table, he added: _And as long as you have your family and friends, things aren't that bad either._


	65. Green Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Madelyn catch up on their photographer's walk.

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_Did you enjoy our friendship-tea party? I hope it made you feel better. You have so many awesome friends, Mr. Turtle. And I am sure you will find your other friend again. She's your friend. Friends don't leave just like that. They always come back._   
_I am sorry that we didn't have much decorations and party hats for our tea party, but time was getting short. And I had a lot of fun even without a party hat, and I hope you had a lot of fun too._   
_Mr. Red knows a lot about pigeons. He told me how I can train Mr. Beepers. Daddy and I are now training Mr. Beepers every evening. We want him to fly from Daddy's shoulder to mine, but he often forgets what he is supposed to do and flies a circle around Daddy and lands on his shoulder again. But we'll keep training._   
_I'll start working on the picture of Mr. Beepers, Daddy, and me later. I want it to be awesome._   
_I told you at the tea party, but I want to say again that Cynthia and Rachel really like our fanfiction. Marcus wants to read it, too, and let me know tomorrow what he thinks of it. But I am sure he'll like it, too. And you were right about him. He's a 'Unicornia'-fan. But he tries to keep it secret._   
_Why do boys always try to keep it secret when they like a cute show? Do you know why they do that, Mr. Turtle? Did you try to keep it secret that you like 'Unicornia'?_   
_How is your important mission going?_

_Yours,_   
_Madelyn_

After rereading Madelyn's letter Leo put it back into the drawer of his bedside table and quickly skimmed over his reply letter. Pleased with what he had written, he put the letter into the envelope and sealed it.

* * *

When April arrived at the lair this afternoon, she walked right to Leo's room.

"Hey there, Leo!" she greeted when he had asked her in.

"Hey April!" he replied. "Don't tell me you're here because you somehow knew I managed to write my reply letter to Madelyn today. Because if that's the case, I am even more impressed by your abilities than ever before."

April chuckled. "No, sorry, Leo, no mind powers here. Guess you'll have to settle for one heck of a kunoichi."

"Well, I can live with that," he replied with a smile. "So what brought you here if it wasn't your mind powers?"

"I just wanted to ask if I can skip tonight's patrol," April said. "I promised Madelyn we'll catch up on our photographer's walk later this afternoon."

Leo nodded. "After defeating an ancient ghost a few days ago, I think you deserve a night off. Have fun, you two!"

"Thanks, Leo!" April replied, but then put a hand over her mouth and yawned.

Leo raised a brow at this.

"You sure you shouldn't just get some sleep?" he asked then. "No offense, April, but you look tired."

"It's okay," April replied. "It just looks like that my so-called post-finals-coma didn't provide me with enough sleep this time. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep, but patrols, watching over Madelyn, and defeating an ancient ghost a few days ago surprisingly haven't helped. But I'll manage."

"Don't overdo it, okay?" Leo said.

"Heh, I'm a kunoichi, not to mention pretty soon, I'll be one heck of a kunoichi, I can manage it." She grinned at Leo, but then she twisted her mouth to choke another yawn.

For a moment, Leo thought of bringing it up, but then he decided against it. April was old enough to know what she could manage and what not.

"Okay," he said. "How's Irma doing?"

"She bought the bad bump on the head-explanation, thank god," April replied. "She was still a little bit dizzy the next morning, an aftermath of what Ho Chan did to her, I guess. But it made her believe my explanation because if you got a bump on your head, you can be dizzy the next day." She shrugged. "At least, that's what Irma said."

"I see," Leo said. "Good you came up with this."

April smirked. "Heh, I am becoming one heck of a kunoichi. I simply _know_ such things!"

Leo just chuckled in reply.

* * *

Madelyn placed the gray pencil she had used to color Mr. Beepers on her picture aside and looked at it. She had been working on it for a few days now, using some glitter for the background and looking really hard at Mr. Beepers to get all his colors right. And her father's sweater vest had been really hard, because she hadn't possessed the right pencil for it, but then she had talked her father into visiting the art supply store with her and had found the right pencil there.

And now her picture was finally finished.

She smiled. Mr. Turtle was so going to love it!

She just hoped this picture would make him feel better.

The tea party had been a good start and he hadn't looked so sad when he had left, but Madelyn wanted him to be all happy again.

April was coming over later anyway, so she could ask her how Mr. Turtle was doing. And maybe she'd bring a new letter from Mr. Turtle.

Okay, Mr. Turtle had warned her that his replies could take a little longer now with the important mission and so on, but she really, really hoped for a new letter. She wanted to know what he thought of the tea party so badly!

Plus, reading Mr. Turtle's letters was always fun!

At that moment, Madelyn heard the door bell and moments later, April popped her head into the living room where Madelyn was sitting on the floor and looking at her latest picture.

"Hello, Madelyn!" April greeted her.

"Aaaaaaaaapril!" Madelyn called out and jumped to her feet, running over to her friend.

"Look!" she said, waving her picture at April. "I finished a new picture for Mr. Turtle!"

April took the piece of paper and smiled.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" she said. "He'll love it!"

Madelyn just grinned.

April handed the picture back and then retrieved a green letter from her messenger bag.

"And I have this for you," she said.

"A new letter!" Madelyn cheered, taking the envelope. "I thought it would take Mr. Turtle longer. That's awesome!"

April smiled.

But then Madelyn looked at April with a concerned look on her face.

"April, can I read it before we leave for our photographer's walk?" she asked. "Pleeeeeeeeease?"

April chuckled softly. Who could resist this sweet face?

"Okay, but hurry," she said.

"Yippie!" Madelyn called out and ran over the couch.

* * *

_Dear Madelyn,_

_I loved our friendship-tea party! It was such a sweet surprise and it made me feel a lot better. Thank you so, so much for this! And don't worry about the party hats or the decorations. It was a great party even without them. As I said, I really, really loved it._   
_Yes, Mr. Red is a pigeon-expert. He really likes them, and he even trained some of them. And I think if you keep training Mr. Beepers, he'll figure the 'flying from shoulder to shoulder'-trick out pretty soon. He seems to be a great pigeon._   
_I can't wait for your picture! And I bet it's going to be beautiful._   
_I am glad that your friends like our fanfiction, and I hope Marcus is going to like it, too._   
_I don't know, Madelyn. I guess boys think they have to be all tough and manly and that watching a cartoon about unicorns would make them look less tough and less manly. I only can say that I really like 'Unicornia'. But I must confess I tried to keep it a secret from my family at first. I just wasn't sure how they'd react to it because the other shows I like are more action-like, and 'Unicornia' is totally different. But my family knows that I am a 'Unicornia'-fan now, and they understand._   
_But I am sure that even if Marcus keeps it a secret, he'll still like to talk about the show with you. And maybe one day he has the courage to say out loud, that he likes 'Unicornia'._   
_Our mission is going well so far. We're searching the city every night for my friend. We haven't found her so far, but I think we are doing a great job. I hope we can find her soon._   
_I can't wait for your next letter._

_Yours,_   
_Mr. Turtle_

* * *

While Madelyn was reading Leo's letter, April sat down on the couch next to her, checking the photographer's board for the theme for this month's challenge on her Tphone. She hadn't participated in any challenges recently because of being busy with school and becoming one heck of a kunoichi, but somehow she missed photographing.

She frowned when she found this month's theme.

Tranquility? Okay, this was going to be a challenge for sure. How was she supposed to take a picture of tranquility?

She choked a sigh and looked over at Madelyn. The little girl was still reading, so April decided to check her message board. Maybe one of her users had seen something that could help them find Karai. Maybe someone had even seen Karai herself.

She quickly checked the new posts, but there was nothing. Her frown deepened.

Karai was a mutant snake. How was she able to hide so well? Okay, snakes were really good at hiding and Karai has been trained as a kunoichi. So maybe instinct and learned abilities came together perfectly here. Perfectly for her, of course, not for the people who were trying to find her.

And it was still about New York here, a city where changes weren't noticed so quickly if they didn't jump right into your face. So chances were high that it could take them a while to find Karai. But they'd give their best, no matter what.

When April looked up from her phone and found Madelyn looking at her expectantly, her frown disappeared immediately.

"Ready to go?" April asked with a smile, and Madelyn nodded eagerly.

* * *

Madelyn was watching April standing under a tree, that had already shed all its leaves, in the park and took photographs of its dark limbs against the gray, cloudy sky.

Madelyn wrapped her arms around her body. It was already cold and her light coat didn't help much to keep her warm. Maybe she should move a bit. As long as she stayed close to April it should be fine.

She walked over to the shrubs and originally, she had planned on going right back to April, but something in the shrubs caught her eye. They were evergreen shrubs, obviously, but there was a different green in them, a glowing, radiating green, and Madelyn moved a little closer to examine whatever it was.

She gasped when she realized what the glowing green was. The green tea!

Quickly, she reached for it and pulled the canister out.

Okay, Mr. Turtle had told her that it was no real green tea and that she couldn't drink it because it was poisonous, but she still thought that it was beautiful.

And Mr. Turtle had been so eager to get the canister back when they had had their first tea party, so this must mean that he really liked it, right? Maybe he thought that it was beautiful, too. Maybe she could use some of it for her picture. The picture was already finished, but she was sure she could add some sparkling dots of green to it. Then the picture would cheer Mr. Turtle up even more! Oh, this was great!

She grinned from ear to ear and ran over to April.

"April, April!" she called out happily. "Look what I found!"

April turned away from the tree and looked into Madelyn's direction and her eyes grew wide with shock.

Madelyn was running towards her, and she was holding a canister of mutagen into the air!

She needed to do something! She opened her mouth, she wanted to shout to Madelyn that she should be careful, that she should stop running, but before the words could even leave her mouth, Madelyn tripped.


	66. Disturbing News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When April arrives at the lair after the mutagen-incident, Leo has some disturbing news for her.

April set into motion. She knew she'd never reach Madelyn in time, but she had to try.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion now – Madelyn's fall, the canister of mutagen slipping from her hands, hitting to the ground.

April held her breath and braced herself for that terrible noise of breaking glass.

It never came.

The teenage girl came to a stop next to Madelyn who lied on the ground facedown. The canister of mutagen had hit the ground not far from her outstretched arms, and April looked at it wide-eyed as she realized it was undamaged.

She took a deep breath of relief as she kneeled down next to Madelyn.

"Madelyn, are you okay?" she asked, touching the girl's shoulder gently.

Madelyn didn't react, but soon her body was shaken by sobs.

"Oh my gosh, Madelyn, what's wrong?" April asked as she helped her sit up. "Are you hurt?"

Madelyn didn't reply, just buried her face in her hands.

"Oh god, sweetie, please tell me what's wrong," April said as she started to brush away the blades of grass from Madelyn's coat. It didn't help with the stains, though, but she needed to do something.

But Madelyn just kept crying, and April had no idea what to do. So when all the blades of grass were removed from Madelyn's coat, she gently grabbed Madelyn's hand and forced them away from Madelyn's face.

"There, let me have look," April said calmly, checking Madelyn's face for any bruises. At first, she couldn't find any, but then she saw the small drop of blood on Madelyn's lip.

"Oh, have you bitten your lip?" April asked. "Poor Madelyn!"

She took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed off the blood.

"Oh, it's not that bad," she finally said and smiled at Madelyn. "The blood's all gone now."

Madelyn looked at her and blinked a few times, the tears still running down her cheeks. But then she snuffled and finally stopped crying.

"That's a brave girl," April said and took another handkerchief to clean Madelyn's damp face.

"All good now?" she asked then.

Madelyn shook her tiny head.

"Is there something I can do?" April asked.

Madelyn nodded and before April could react she wrapped her arms around April's neck. April was surprised at first, but then hugged her back.

"There, there," she said as she patted Madelyn's back.

When Madelyn finally let go, April looked at her again.

"Better?" she asked.

Madelyn nodded, but her eyes were pinned to the ground.

April could only guess that she was still a bit scared and shocked by what had happened.

She gently patted Madelyn's head before she leaned over to the canister of mutagen, grabbed it and put it into her messenger bag. It didn't really fit in, a good half of it stuck out, but it was enough to carry it.

Donnie would know what to do with it, April thought as she turned back to Madelyn and stood up.

The little girl's eyes were still pinned to the ground and she didn't look up as she stood up herself.

"Madelyn, are you sure you're okay?" April asked cautiously.

Madelyn nodded silently.

"Do you want me to carry you?" April asked. That was what her father had always done when she had fallen and had be a little shocked by it as a little child, so maybe it would help Madelyn, too.

Madelyn looked at her with wide eyes, but then nodded quickly and let April pick her up.

So April was crossing the park on her way to the nearest subway station, carrying Madelyn in her arms, having a camera dangle on its strap from her neck, and a messenger bag with an all too visible canister of mutagen around her shoulder, so it was quite a heavy load, and April's breath quickened pretty soon.

But to be honest, she couldn't care less.

* * *

Leo was on his way to the dojo. He wanted to train a little before they left for their evening patrol. There were still a few hours left, and he felt like training.

But before he could get there, Mikey came rushing over to him from his room.

"Leo!" he called out as he skidded to a halt in front of his brother.

"What is it, Mikey?" Leo asked.

"Look what I found!" Mikey called out, holding up a video cassette.

Leo looked at the cassette, trying to figure out what this was all about.

But before he could put the pieces together, Mikey continued.

"It's the last episode of 'Super Robo Mecha Force Five!'," he said, his eyes wide with glee. "I thought it wasn't included in the pile of cassettes I found back at the day, but when I looked through all the cassettes in my room, I found it. Leo, I found it! Isn't this great?"

Leo watched as the grin on Mikey's face grew broader and broader until it seemed to not have enough room there any longer.

"Wait," Leo said. "We've been searching for a copy of this episode for weeks, and now you find out you had it all the time? Are you serious?!"

"Pretty serious!" Mikey replied. "And isn't it awesome? We had it ALL THE TIME!"

Leo blinked a few times. All these hours they had spent looking through dumpsters behind old and/or closed video rental stores, and now he was told that the cassette only got lost in the chaos Mikey called his room?!

He slapped his hand against his forehead with a groan.

"Let me get Raph and Donnie, and then let's watch it! I can't wait to see their faces!" Mikey called out.

Leo huffed. He could imagine quite well what Raph's face would look like – like incarnate anger. As for Donnie, Donnie probably wouldn't even realize. He was too caught up in his newest project, the Turtle Mech. Nothing would make him leave his lab if it wasn't absolutely necessary. And an episode of "Super Robo Mecha Force Five!" wasn't one-hundred percent necessary, not to Donnie at least, no matter how much he loved that show.

"Mikey, better leave Donnie alone for now," Leo said to his little brother. "He's too busy."

Mikey twisted his mouth. "Don't you think he might need a little break?"

"Donnie? Never!" Leo said. "So go get Raph and let's watch this episode, okay?"

"Okay!" Mikey said with a broad grin. "This is going to be awesome!"

And with that he ran down the corridor and knocked on the door of Raph's room.

Leo watched him disappear into Raph's room and heard Mikey tell his little awesome story.

It was just then that he realized he maybe should step to the side.

And it was not a second too late as a loud "MIKEY!" sounded through the corridor in Raph's very, very angry voice. Then Mikey came darted out of Raph's room and raced down the corridor with Raph on his heels.

"But don't you think that's awesome, Raph?" Leo heard Mikey ask as they passed him.

Raph's reply, however, consisted of an angry growl.

* * *

When April arrived at the Dearings' apartment she realized the little girl had fallen asleep.

Not having the heart to wake her up, she lifted her one foot and kicked at the door silently, hoping that Mr. Dearing would hear it.

She tried for a few moments, and just the minute she thought she might have to wake up Madelyn nonetheless, the door opened and Mr. Dearing looked at her. And as always Mr. Beepers, the Dearings' pet pigeon was sitting on his shoulder.

"Hi Mr. Dearing," April whispered.

"April? Back already? What happened?" Mr. Dearing asked.

"Shhhhhhh!" April made, cocking her head towards Madelyn. "Madelyn fell and was so shocked by that that she started crying. And on our way home she fell asleep."

"I see," Mr. Dearing said. "Here, let me help you."

He reached out to take Madelyn from April, but the teenage girl shook her head.

"It's okay, Mr. Dearing," she said. "I got this."

Mr. Dearing nodded and stepped to the side so that April could enter, and she quickly carried Madelyn to her room.

Carefully, she lied her down on the bed, but when she removed Madelyn's shoes – she didn't care much about the coat, though – Madelyn flinched and blinked her eyes open.

"April?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes with one hand.

"Yes, Madelyn?" April asked back.

"Did you take the green tea with you?" Madelyn asked. "It's for Mr. Turtle. He seems to like it and I want to cheer him up."

Green tea? April raised a brow. Her eyes wandered to her messenger bag, still dangling on its strap around her shoulder with an all too visible mutagen-canister in it.

She quickly turned around and looked to the door, but Mr. Dearing obviously hadn't followed them.

April listened closely until she could perceive the clanging of china in the kitchen. Mr. Dearing must be making tea, she realized.

"Madelyn, sweetie," April said. "That's no green tea. That's magic potion. It can turn humans into monsters. So please, next time you find a canister of it, come right to me. Don't touch it, just tell me, okay?"

Madelyn's eyes widened at this explanation, but she nodded.

"Is that the reason Mr. Turtle said I couldn't drink it because it's poisonous?" she asked then.

"Yes," April replied.

"Okay." Madelyn nodded again, but then she yawned loudly.

"April, I'm tired," she announced.

"Then you should sleep, Madelyn."

"Will you stay with me until I'm asleep?"

April smiled at the little girl and took her hand into hers. "Of course."

* * *

Later that evening April was on her way to the lair.

Sure, she had asked Leo for an evening off, but this whole mutagen-incident had somehow messed up her plans.

So after having a quick tea with Mr. Dearing and telling him afterwards that she still had homework to do, she had left.

And it hadn't even been a lie. She really had homework to do. She just wouldn't do it this evening. Maybe tomorrow.

Her top priority was to get that canister of mutagen to Donnie. She didn't dare to bring it home to her apartment. She didn't want this stuff anywhere near her father.

She pushed past the turnstiles and looked around the lair.

"Ah, good evening, April!" she heard Master Splinter's voice and found the ninja master standing at the top of the stairs that ascended from the living area, probably on his way to the dojo.

"Good evening, Master Splinter!" April greeted him back with a smile. "Where are the guys?"

"Last time I saw them they were running into Donnie's lab," Splinter replied.

"Oh, okay," April said. "Thank you, Master Splinter."

"You are welcome, April," Splinter replied and continued his path.

April was just crossing the living area on her way to Donnie's lab when she saw a movement from the corner of her eyes.

Alerted, she spun around, knowing that if the turtles were in the lab and Splinter in the dojo this could either be Casey or an enemy. And she'd rather be made fun of for being jumpy by Casey than to be surprised by the latter.

But her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the four brothers enter the lair.

"Guys?" she asked disbelievingly. "Splinter said you were in the lab! Why do you come in here from the tunnels?"

It was only when they were a little closer, she realized Mikey's unfamiliar outfit. What was with all that crystals?

"Long story short," Leo said, "we were in Dimension X, Mikey a little longer than the rest of us."

"Yes!" Mikey confirmed with a self-conscious grin. "And I was a genius there!"

"Just so you know," Raph chimed in, "it's some screwy, crazy dimension."

"But I still was a genius there!" Mikey repeated.

"As I said," Raph said when they all had caught up on April so only she could hear him, "screwy and crazy."

April looked from one turtle to the other, still unsure of what to make of this situation.

"And we found a power source for the Turtle Mech," Donnie said holding up a rather large crystal. "And if you'll excuse me now, I have work to do."

And he already was on his way to the lab.

"And if you'll excuse the Dimension X-genius," Mikey said, sticking his nose up in the air, "I have to catch up on my life here."

And with that he left the living area for his room.

"Wh-what? How?" April stammered. "You guys were in Dimension X?!"

"Sure were!" Raph said as he let himself slump down on the couch.

"Yes," Leo confirmed. "And we brought some disturbing news."

April looked at him, highly alert.

Leo sighed. "The Kraang have perfected the mutagen and plan another invasion. And with the time difference, we have no idea, how much time we've left until they strike. But on the plus-side, we brought Leatherhead."

Dimension X? Perfected mutagen? Invasion? Time difference? Leatherhead? April felt a little dizzy all of a sudden.

"I-I think I need to sit down," she said as she had a seat on the couch.

She took a deep breath.

"April?" Leo addressed her. "Why do you have a canister of mutagen in your bag?"

April turned her head and looked at the container with the green liquid as if she realized it was there for the very first time.

"Oh, that!" she said then. "Madelyn found it. And I thought, I'd better bring it to Donnie – which I am going to do now."

She stood up again. She had left out Madelyn's fall and the all too dangerous opportunity of her getting mutated if the canister had broken, on purpose. No need to scare Leo.

"Is Madelyn okay?" he asked immediately.

"She is," April confirmed and started walking over to the lab.

But when she had reached Leo, she stopped.

"Leo," she said and there was something like fear in her eyes, something like apprehension, "what do we do now?"

Leo took a deep breath. "I don't know for sure, April," he replied. But then he placed a reassuring hand on April's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "But we'll think of something."

April just nodded in reply.


	67. And Then, The Kraang Attacked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn has big plans for the day, but unfortunately, the Kraang have too.  
> This chapter deals with “The Invasion”.

**Chapter 67: And Then, The Kraang Attacked**

_Dear Mr. Turtle,_

_I'm glad to hear you liked our friendship-tea party. I liked it too. And I hope we can have another tea party soon. But this time with enough time for planning and decorating. It will be awesome! We can call it a "more friendship"-tea party. And if you'll find your friend until then, maybe she can come too._  
Daddy and I tried the "flying from shoulder to shoulder"-trick with Mr. Beepers again, and it worked! So awesome! Mr. Beepers is a great pet. And I'm glad Mr. Red told me so much about pigeons. Do you think he and I can talk soon? I want to know what he thinks of my other trick-ideas.  
I finished your picture two days ago, and I showed it to April and she liked it. But then I forgot to give it to her. I think April told you, but I found green tea in the park, only that April told me later that it isn't green tea, but magic potion. I know you told me that I can't drink it because it's poisonous, but I had no idea it is the magic potion you told me about. I wanted April to bring the magic potion to you because it was really important to you when we first met, but when I wanted to bring it to her, I fell and bit my lip, but it's not bad. It doesn't hurt any longer. But it scared me and I started crying. And it made me tired and I fell asleep really early. And so I forgot about the picture! I'm sorry! But I'll send it to you with this letter. I hope you'll like it.  
Cynthia, Rachel, and I will draw our favorite unicorns at after school-care tomorrow. Maybe Marcus will join. He can draw Captain Ryan or Crankshaw or someone else from "Space Heroes" if he doesn't want to draw unicorns because he's a boy. And I'll ask him if he likes our fanfiction, but in secret. Just in case.  
I hope to see you soon!

_Yours,  
Madelyn_

Madelyn re-read the letter one more time and then put it into the envelope together with her newest masterpiece.

She smiled and sealed the letter.

There was a knock at her door and her father popped his head in.

"Time for bed, Lynnie," he said, and Madelyn nodded.

She got up from where she had been sitting at her small table and hopped over to her bed, humming happily, as she tucked herself up.

Her father was glad to see her like that. After her fall at her and April's photographer's walk she had cried herself to sleep, but this morning, she had been back to her usual happy self.

Of course, he didn't know anything about the mutagen or what it did to people. April had wisely left out this detail.

Mr. Dearing walked over to Madelyn's bed and sat down on the edge. He stroked her head gently for a moment.

"Daddy," Madelyn said. "Ruffles McBearington asked if he could come to school with me tomorrow. Do you think that's okay?"

"Well, of course," Mr. Dearing said. "Even teddy bears can learn something new, can't they?"

Madelyn nodded eagerly.

Mr. Dearing smiled at her before he bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Good night, Lynnie," he said.

"Good night, Daddy!" Madelyn replied.

Then Mr. Dearing got up again and turned off the lights when he left the room.

Madelyn looked over to her little desk. She couldn't really make out in the moonlight where exactly her pink letter was, but she knew it was there.

She would give it to April next time the teenage girl would bring her to school. And this was going to be in two days.

And tomorrow, she and her two new friends Cynthia and Rachel would draw unicorns and Marcus would draw Captain Ryan or Crankshaw, and she would ask Marcus in secret what he thought about her, Mr. Turtle's, and April's fanfiction, and then they would talk about it, and they would all have a lot of fun.

This was going to be a great day.

And with a smile Madelyn closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Little did she know that all these great things she had made up in her mind were never going to happen.

Because the next day, the Kraang attacked.

* * *

Madelyn was sitting on a pillow in the reading corner in the after-school care club-room, her teddy bear on her knees, and waiting. Marcus, Cynthia, and Rachel weren't here yet, but they should arrive any minute.

She let her eyes wander over the room, over Billy and his friends who were playing with some action figures, over some other children doing their homework, over Mrs. Stenson who was admiring a picture drawn by one of the other pupils. She was smiling at the girl and congratulated her on the beautiful rainbow.

And that moment the door opened and Marcus entered.

A smile appeared on Madelyn's face. She placed her teddy bear on another pillow.

"You wait here, Ruffles McBearington," she said to the plushie. "You can read something if you want to. I'll be back later." And then she walked over to Marcus.

"Hi Marcus!" she greeted him.

"Hi Madelyn!" Marcus returned with a smile.

Madelyn quickly looked around and checked that no one was close enough to hear what she was going to say. Pleased, she turned back to Marcus, even got a little closer.

"Did you have a chance to read our 'Unicornia'-fanfiction?" she asked in a low voice.

Marcus opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by one of Billy's friends.

"Awwwwww, look at these two lovebirds!" he mocked. "So when's the big day?"

Madelyn pressed her mouth into a thin line and glared at the boy. But then she remembered what Mr. Turtle had told her.

So she took a deep breath and turned back to Marcus. She'd just ignore this boy.

"Oh, I get it!" the boy went on. "You two want to be alone. Living in your own little world, huh?"

Unfortunately, Marcus hadn't been taught any lessons by Mr. Turtle.

"Cut it out!" he snapped at the other boy, but it was only commented by laughter. Madelyn had been afraid this would happen. She better got Marcus out of the way. No need to get into a fight, not because of such a bully.

So she took Marcus hand and led him to one of the desks.

"How cute!" the boy called out. "They're holding hands!"

When Madelyn and Marcus passed Billy, Madelyn realized that the young boy was shifting uneasily.

"So have you kissed her already, Marcus?" Billy's friend went on. But when he wanted to go after them, Billy stepped into his way.

"That's enough," he said firmly.

"But Billy…"

"You heard me," Billy replied. "Now would you mind showing me this special feature of your action figure? You told me so much about it! I want to see it!"

The boy hesitated, but then he went back to where their action figures were lying on the ground. Billy followed.

When Madelyn looked over her shoulder into the boys' direction she found Billy looking at her.

She quickly mouthed a thank you.

Billy must have noticed, but he turned back to his friends as if he hadn't.

And then there was a loud bang and suddenly, the whole room shook, no, the whole building shook!

Before Madelyn could react, Mrs. Stenson rushed over to the window, her eyes wide with fear. But when she reached the window and looked outside, her eyes widened even more and she gasped.

When she turned around to face her students, her hands were shaking slightly, but she somehow managed to keep her voice from shivering when she addressed them.

"Children," she said. "There is something…odd going on outside. So we all are going to stay in here and wait until everything is back to normal, okay?" She gave a weak attempt of a smile. "So who wants to play Go Fish? Or maybe we should sing a song. What do you think? Or…"

She was cut off by a cracking noise and a small part of the ceiling crashed on the floor right in front of her.

"Or maybe we should leave the building," she finished.

"But, Mrs. Stenson," Billy said. "You just said we should stay inside."

"Do you want to have the whole school come down on your head, Billy!?" Mrs. Stenson called out, her self-control melting away, but then she took deep breath and finally got a grip on herself again.

"I mean," she continued, her voice all calm again, "some things have occurred that we now have to leave the building earlier. So everyone, stay together. We're leaving now."

The children shared insecure looks, but they all got over to the door silently, although a little scared.

"Very good, children," Mrs. Stenson said as she walked over to them. "And now, follow me outside."

She led the children out of the room, but just when Madelyn was about to step through the door, she looked back to the reading corner and found her teddy bear still sitting there.

Oh gosh! She had nearly forgotten Ruffles McBearington!

And without really thinking about it, she ran over to the reading corner.

The other children were too focused on Mrs. Stenson to notice, and Mrs. Stenson was concentrating on trying to keep the appearance of strength to notice.

Madelyn quickly grabbed Ruffles McBearington. The others had already left the room, but that was okay. She'd catch up on them in a few moments. And with that she rushed outside the room.

But the others weren't in the corridor, so Madelyn ran to the front door and outside on the streets.

And then she stopped, rooted to the spot. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened with fear.

There were spaceships flying around, and robots marching, and people were running and screaming.

Madelyn hugged Ruffles McBearington a bit tighter to her. What was going on here?

She looked around and found Mrs. Stenson and the other children running into a side street. She breathed a quick breath of relief, but then there was this terrible noise behind her, and when she turned around, she saw how a laser beam hit the school and the whole front wall crumbled to pieces.

And then a big robot leg set down just in front of her.

Madelyn gasped and then she just ran.

She didn't care about where she was headed or where Mrs. Stenson and the others were, she just ran and ran and ran.

She had one hand clasped around her teddy bear's paw really tightly, and she kept running and running, until her legs started hurting and she had to slow down.

And after a little while she stopped completely because she just couldn't go any further.

She just stood there in the middle of the street.

She was alone. Mrs. Stenson, Marcus, Billy, and the others, she had lost them in this chaos. She had no idea where her father was or April or Mr. Turtle. She was lost. She was alone!

She took a shaky breath, but she didn't have the strength left to fight the tears back. So they were running down her cheeks, and she cried, just cried.

She didn't realize what was going on around her any longer, she didn't see the alien ships or the big robot approaching, she didn't hear it turning towards her. All she realized was her loneliness, her fear.

And then she was grabbed by someone, arms, human arms were holding her as this someone carried her away. She clung to him. He was human and he was holding her. He was all she got at the moment. He was running, but then he stopped for a moment. She didn't dare to look. She didn't want to know what was there. She kept her face pressed against his chest, realizing that his shirt smelled a bit like pizza.

Then he screamed, turned around and ran again.

And he was running and running, carrying her away. She hoped he'd bring her somewhere where it was safe.

* * *

The Kraang wanted to bring them to Shredder? Leo still couldn't believe it as he ran through the sewers' tunnels.

But that was what the Kraang had said when he had eavesdropped earlier.

He needed to find his brothers and warn them.

Oh, he so wished they hadn't been separated, he so wished Donnie and he hadn't had this argument. But he still thought that is was best if they left the city, found another hideout, prepared, and then came back to defeat the Kraang. They still could do that. They had to.

He still thought the Turtlemech was too dangerous, it wasn't battle-tested, and it could not only fry the Kraang, but half of New York as well. So no, no Turtlemech. They had to leave!

But first he needed to find his brothers and maybe Splinter. He couldn't go back to the lair yet. The Kraang could still be around there somewhere.

_The lair…_

It probably was totally destroyed by now. He was pretty sure that the Kraang would leave no stone standing.

He stopped for a split second, thinking about how the place he had grown up in had been turned into chaos.

His room with all his little treasures, his "Space Heroes"-action figures, his comic book-collection, Madelyn's pictures.

_Madelyn…_

He could only hope that she was safe. He really, really hoped that she was safe. And why wouldn't she be safe? She was a clever, brave, little girl. She had to be safe.

He would look for her when it was safe enough.

But first, he had to find his brothers.

And with this thought he set into motion again.


	68. All That's Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madelyn tries to get back home, and Leo fights for his life.  
> This chapter deals with "The Invasion".

**Chapter 68: All That's Left **

Madelyn pressed her nose deeper into the man's chest, inhaling the scent of pizza. Pizza was good. Pizza was safety. Mr. Turtle liked pizza.

_Mr. Turtle!_

Her eyes shot open as she realized that she wasn't as safe here as she had hoped. This man was a stranger!

She started struggling a bit, careful still not to let go of her teddy bear.

"Heyhey, easy there, lil' girl," the stranger said. "Gotta bring you somewhere safely, okay?"

Madelyn had her doubts, but then she remembered that this man had been running and carrying her for a while now, and his breathing got heavier with every step. And why would he do that if he wanted to harm her?

And with that thought she stopped struggling.

Moments later – the man had slowed down so much, he was rather walking than running – she was put on the ground carefully.

"You okay, lil' girl?" she was asked by a gasping, but gentle voice.

Madelyn felt a bit tired after the events of the day, and so she rubbed her eyes with her free hand – the other hand was still holding Ruffles McBearington's paw – before she finally looked at her savior.

He was kneeling in front of her, still breathing heavily from the run, but his face was friendly although he couldn't hide his exhaustion completely. He had brown eyes, a big nose and curly hair. Actually, his hair looked quite funny. It reminded her of Sunset Curls, one of the unicorns from "Unicornia". She was about to reach out and touch it, but froze when she remembered what had happened.

The robots, how she had lost Mrs. Stenson and her class, how she had no idea where her father was or April or Mr. Turtle or Roger or Cindy, how alone she was.

And again, she raised her free hand to her face and started crying.

"Oh nonono," the man said. "Don't cry! Everything's gonna be okay."

Madelyn shook her head fiercely.

"Is not!" she said. "There are robots and I don't know where Daddy is or my friends. I…I…"

Her words died in her throat as heavier sobs shook her little body.

"Please, lil' girl," the man said. "Stop crying. We'll find your Daddy and your friends, okay?"

Madelyn removed her hand from her face and looked at him suspiciously.

"Really?" she asked with a frown. Her face showed that angry look that wasn't meant to be angry, but actually was her shy face, something April had taken a good time to understand. But the man didn't seem to have a problem with that.

"'Course!" was his answer. "I just saved you from a giant robot and some creepy aliens and a guy in a blades-suit, I think I can handle finding your Daddy."

He smiled at her, and Madelyn returned the smile.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Very fine," the man said. "But first things first." He held out his hand to her. "I'm Richie."

Madelyn took his hand and shook it carefully.

"Madelyn," she said shyly.

Richie's smile deepened.

"Okay, now that this is settled, let's look for your Daddy, okay?"

He got back to his feet, still holding her little hand.

His hand was warm and big, although not as big as her father's hand or Mr. Turtle's, but bigger than April's. It felt familiar to hold Richie's hand, to hold on to a warm hand. It made her feel safe.

"Okay," she said.

Richie gave her hand a gentle squeeze, something else that helped her feel safe, and they set into motion.

* * *

Leo was standing there, breathing heavily, his muscles, his limbs protesting, hurting from the fight, but he was standing fiercely, willing to fight, having to fight. For his life. This was no normal fight any longer, no challenge, where the winner had the victory, the honor, and the loser had the shame; this was a fight for sheer survival. He'd win or he'd die. No honor to win here, just his life.

"Now you may finish him." Shredder's voice was without any emotion, just like his eyes, cold, merciless. And his inferiors obeyed without hesitation.

Fishface, Tiger Claw, Rahzar, they all attacked, and Leo took a blow or two, was knocked to the ground. But then his survival instinct kicked back in, and he fought back with all the strength his maltreated body had left. And it was more strength then he had dreamed of. He fought like a berserk, he fought for sheer survival, and he knew he had won when he sent Tiger Claw to the ground.

He allowed himself a moment of rest, a moment of trying to catch his breath as he looked down at his defeated enemies.

But then, a lightning flashed over the sky, and thunder rolled, and just a second too late he realized the presence behind him. He turned around as quickly as he could, but it was too late.

His eyes widened as he faced Shredder. He didn't even have time to bring up his fists before Shredder's strike hit him. He didn't even feel the pain.

All he felt was this dead certainty. It was consuming all his thoughts. His brain was blank, except for this one thought that was screaming inside his head as he fell backwards into the darkness.

_This is it…_

* * *

Richie was leading Madelyn through the side streets, staying as far away from the fight as possible. He had no idea where to look for her father, but he wore the most serious expression on his face as if he were dead sure where they had to go.

There was no need to scare her more. She already was so very scared, and he wanted to give her all the comfort he could afford even though it was at the costs of a little lie.

When it would get too dark to move any further, he could still tell her that they were pretty close and just needed to find a place for the night and that they would get to her Daddy the next morning.

Lies, these were all lies, but he still thought that it was okay to lie as long as it gave Madelyn some hope, some strength to move on.

His grandmother had always told him that sometimes, hope was all that was left. And he would rather die than deprive Madelyn of the hope to see her father again.

He damn sure would!

He quickly turned his head to her when he felt a little tug at his hand when Madelyn stumbled.

"You okay, Madelyn?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes," she said, but the fact that she stumbled once again belied her reply.

"You tired?" Richie asked further, and Madelyn lowered her eyes to the ground, pressing her mouth into a thin line.

And then she gave the slightest of nods.

"Okay," Richie said, stopped, bent down and put her in his arms. And then he started moving again.

"Better?" he asked.

"Better," Madelyn answered and slung one arm around his neck while the other pressed Ruffles McBearington closer to her chest.

Her voice was barely a whisper, but Richie heard her.

"Good," he said and patted her back gently.

* * *

Madelyn had no idea how long Richie had been carrying her. She had a hard deal keeping her eyes open. She was so tired!

But when she thought she was finally losing the fight against sleep, she heard something, something familiar, a cooing sound and the flapping of wings.

Her eyes shot open.

"Let me down!" she told Richie and started struggling when he didn't obey immediately. She was struggling so forcefully, that Richie put her on the ground for the reason only that otherwise she would have fallen.

"Easy there, Madelyn!" he said, but as soon as Madelyn's feet touched the ground, she wrested herself free and ran.

"Mr. Beepers!" she called out as she set eyes on the pigeon, but the pigeon – pecking at something on the ground – stopped abruptly when the girl approached.

Then it turned around and waddled away.

"Mr. Beepers!" Madelyn tried again. "It's me, Madelyn!"

But the faster she ran, the faster the pigeon tried to get away, until finally it spread its wings and flew away.

"Mr. Beepers!" Madelyn called out once more, leaving the side street and turning into the broader main street, not realizing how desperately Richie tried to catch up on her.

Madelyn was still looking at the pigeon which flew higher and higher until she understood and stopped.

"Oh," she said, lowering her eyes to the ground. "That wasn't Mr. Beepers."

The disappointment rushed through her, cold as ice, but before she could give in to this feeling completely, she heard Richie's scared voice.

"Look out!" he called out, and before Madelyn could react, she was grabbed by her arms and pulled backwards.

Madelyn heard the screeching of brakes; and a yellow van with some colorful paintings on it slowed down with a slither, but as soon as the driver – the only person visible in the car – seemed to realize that the little girl was out of the way, he stepped on the gas again and drove off.

Madelyn watched the vehicle disappearing in the distance. Something about this car had caught her attention, but she couldn't tell what this was.

But she didn't have time to think about it.

"Are you okay?" Richie asked and turned her around so he could check on her.

Madelyn nodded silently.

Richie breathed a sigh of relief.

Madelyn looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I…I want to go home," she sobbed.

"I know," Richie replied. "And we're almost there."

Madelyn nodded again, and looked around her. She was still about to burst into tears, but then she gasped and blinked her tears away.

"You're right!" she called out. "That's my favorite playground over there! We're close!"

"Really?" Richie asked, but then cleared his throat. "I mean, of course! I told you!"

"You did! You did!" Madelyn replied cheerfully, grabbed Richie's hand and dragged him into the direction of her apartment building.

Richie quickly checked their surroundings for any robots around or other dangers. The place was deserted and a bit affected by the invasion, but not as destroyed as other parts of the city.

"Come on!" Madelyn called out to him, eager to get back home, hoping that her father and Mr. Beepers would wait for them in their apartment.

* * *

When they arrived at the apartment building, Madelyn was about to climb the stairs to the front door, when someone called her name. She knew that voice!

Madelyn turned around and found her father running towards them.

"Madelyn, thank God, you're okay!" he called out as he got down on his knees and locked her in his arms.

"I'm fine, Daddy," Madelyn replied and hugged him back.

Her father let go of her and placed his hands on her shoulder, shifting her a bit backwards, so he could have a better look at her.

"God, I'm so glad you're fine," he said with a sigh of relief and hugged her once more.

"I tried to get to your school, but the fighting was the thickest there, there was no chance. So I thought, if you were okay, you'd try to get back home. So I came here. But then I remembered you had no key, and I decided to hide in the side street and keep an eye on the apartment building."

He turned around and looked at Richie.

"Thanks for bringing my little girl home, lad," he said to him.

"Welcome, sir," Richie replied with a smile, but then he shifted a bit uneasily. "If you'll excuse me now, sir, I wanna try to get back to the pizzeria I work at, checking if my boss and everyone's okay. And I'd like to call my family."

"Thanks again." Mr. Dearing nodded.

"Okay." Richie knelt down and looked at Madelyn. "I think you can take it from here, right, Madelyn?"

Madelyn nodded and flung her arms around Richie's neck. "Thank you, Richie!"

"You're welcome, Madelyn." He patted her back gently and then got back to his feet. "See ya!"

And with a smile on his face, he turned around and left.

* * *

Madelyn climbed the stairs with her father, and when they entered their apartment, there was another surprise waiting for them, as they were greeted by a little coo.

"Mr. Beepers!" Madelyn called out and ran over to the couch where the pigeon was sitting. "You're okay!"

Mr. Beepers let her pet his chest a little before he took wings and landed on her father's shoulder as if it was the most normal thing in the world, as if he had just been waiting for his family to return home after a normal day of school and work, as if there wasn't an alien invasion going on in the city. He even looked rather unimpressed, even as there were some explosions heard in the distance.

Mr. Dearing stroked the pet pigeon a little before he sat down on the couch.

Madelyn had a seat next to him.

"Daddy, what are we doing now?" she asked, her forehead furrowed.

"It is going to get dark pretty soon," Mr. Dearing explained. "And this part of the city seems to be rather safe. So we'll stay here until tomorrow morning, and then we'll see what we'll do next, if we can stay or if we have to leave."

Madelyn shook her head fiercely. "We can't leave!" she said. "I don't know where Mr. Turtle and April and the others are, and if they come looking for us, they'll look here. So we have to stay!"

"Madelyn," Mr. Dearing said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "If it gets too dangerous here, we have to leave."

"But can't you call April and tell her that we are okay? She needs to tell Mr. Turtle that we are okay!"

"Madelyn, I'm sorry. When my office building got under attack, I forgot my phone when I left. There's no way we can contact her now."

"But Daddy, she must be worried! Mr. Turtle must be worried! We have to go looking for them!"

"I'm sorry, Lynnie," her father continued, using his special nickname for her. "We can't do that. We have no idea where they are. We can't just get out there and look on sheer luck."

"But what if something happens to them?"

"I'm sure, they are okay," Mr. Dearing said. "April is a clever girl and Leonar…Mr. Turtle is brave and a good fighter. They can take care of themselves. All we can do now is wait and hope that we'll see them again soon."

Madelyn lowered her eyes, but nodded.

But then she remembered something.

_Leonardo, Mr. Turtle…_

"Daddy, I know that his name is Leonardo," she said then. "You don't have to call him Mr. Turtle in front of me all the time. He told me his real name."

Mr. Dearing's eyes widened a bit. "Then why do you call him Mr. Turtle?"

Madelyn looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Because he's my Mr. Turtle."

And with these words the tears started running down her cheeks and her father pulled her into an embrace, holding her tightly, and Mr. Beepers gave a sad, little coo.

Yes, he was her Mr. Turtle, it was her nickname for him.

And he even had made up nickname for her – Maddie. But when he had first called her that, she had been a bit surprised, and she had told him that she had to think about this name for her. And she had thought about it, but she had never given him her answer, that she was fine that he called her Maddie if he wanted to. It was his special name for her, as Mr. Turtle was her special name for him, or Lynnie was her father's special name for her.

And if something happened to Mr. Turtle, he'd never know that he could call her Maddie if he wanted to. He'd never know that she was fine with it.

And she'd never know what it would be like to be called Maddie by Mr. Turtle.

More and more tears were running down her cheeks at these thoughts, and she was sobbing loudly, whispering every now and then, "He's Mr. Turtle, he's my Mr. Turtle."

* * *

As the party wagon was driving down the dark street, further and further away from the city, April was still hugging Casey, pressing her head to his chest, trying to give him a little bit of comfort. He had left behind everything. He had no idea what had happened to his family, if they were still alive or not.

As hard as it was that her father had been mutated for the second time, April at least knew that he was alive. It was cold comfort, but still comfort.

Back in the party wagon, Mikey and Raph were sitting next to each other, Raph's arm protectively slung around his little brother. Donnie was watching over Leo in the back of the van. Leo was in a really bad condition after Shredder's attack, and it gave her heart a twinge when she thought of his damaged body.

The plan was to get to Northampton. What came after that, she had no idea. She had no clue what the future might bring.

_First Northampton_ , she told herself. _We'll see from there._

They needed to recover first. _Leo_ needed to get better first. There was no use in wracking her brain about how to get back to the city, there was no use in making plans.

Future plans had the tendency to not work out as planned. If they did, she would be sitting in the lair right now, safe from the Footbots, with Irma right next to her, her friend still amazed by the fact that April's secret friends were mutants.

_Irma…_

April squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, as the guilt made her stomach tense up, giving her a feeling of sickness, but she managed to shove it away. No need for that now. No use in that now.

Her friends were alive, that was what counted.

And aside from that, there still was hope – hope that her father would be cured again, hope that Master Splinter was alive, hope that Leo's injuries weren't as bad as they thought, hope that they would return to the city and defeat the Kraang in no time.

_Yes, sometimes hope is all that's left._

And with this they left behind New York City, a city that the Kraang were trying to conquer, a city where a war was going on between human forces and the alien invaders – and a city where a little girl was waiting for the return of her Mr. Turtle.


	69. At the Farmhouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During their stay at the farmhouse Leo has to think about a few things.

He was surrounded by darkness, thick, warm darkness. He couldn't feel, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he was just there.

Whenever the darkness withdrew, the pain came, the pain in his leg, his throat, his whole body, the feeling of being hit by fists and metal, the feeling of steel cutting through his flesh.

It hurt, more than he could bear, and so he quickly fled back into the black, warm nothing.

But then the darkness faded and the pain had become more bearable. Also, he could hear again, calming voices and breathing, he could feel someone's presence.

And this was when he woke up.

* * *

Standing at the porch of the farmhouse, leaning on his cane with one hand, Leo stared down at his other hand with a frown. He was holding a tea cup, and like always when he drank tea from such a tea cup, he was holding his smallest finger out, the equivalent of a human pinkie, although he didn't really have a pinkie, of course.

_You have to hold your pinkie out._

He had done that automatically when they had had tea with April's mother who then turned out to be just a clone, a Kraang-experiment and definitely _not_ April's mother.

This had happened last night and now he was standing on the porch and staring at the tea cup in his hand.

_You have to hold your pinkie out._

He moved his finger back to the cup, then held it out again, then back to the cup, then held it out again.

Holding his finger out while drinking a cup of tea felt so much more natural now. It felt _right_.

_You have to hold your pinkie out._

He took a sip from his cup and then looked over to the woods behind the farmhouse.

Leo heard a movement behind him as the door was opened and someone stepped out onto the porch. He didn't turn around.

"Having your morning tea, Leo?" Raph asked as he positioned himself next to Leo.

"Yes," Leo replied in his new voice. He choked a sigh. This voice, it still sounded so wrong in his ears like someone else was talking and he just happened to move his lips in time.

He could feel his brother's gaze on him, but he kept his eyes glued to the trees. He saw from the corner of his eye that Raph turned his head to look over to the woods himself.

They stood there in silence for a while, while Leo took a sip from his tea every now and then.

"Do you miss her?" Raph finally asked.

Leo flinched a little.

"I do," he replied then.

Another moment of silence passed.

"You do know it's okay to talk about her, right?" Raph said.

Leo sighed. "I don't see how this would change anything. There's so much…"

He broke off mid-sentence.

It was hard to put into words what he was feeling. There was so much on his plate already – his injury, that maybe he had lost his sensei, his father, that April's father got mutated again, that April's best friend had turned out to be a Kraang-spy, that he had nearly gotten killed by Shredder, that the Kraang had taken over New York City, that…that…that…

It was too much to process already, a twirling, bubbling mess of things to worry about. He simply couldn't add Madelyn to this as well.

Or maybe he already had.

He kept asking himself if she were alright. He hadn't asked the others, unsure if he wanted to know the answer, but on the other hand, he felt confident that they would have told him if they knew anything. Which meant, they didn't.

So this was one more thing added to the mess in his head, one more thing he didn't know how to cope with, one more thing he didn't have an answer for.

He sighed again.

"I know," Raph said. "We're all tiptoeing around certain topics here." He shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to let you know that you can talk about her, if you want to."

Leo turned his head and looked at his brother.

But before he could thank him, Raph went on.

"And I wanted to give you this," he said and reached for something he had tucked under his belt. He turned to Leo and held it out to him. It was a folded piece of paper.

Leo placed his tea cup on the railing and took the paper from Raph, unfolding it carefully while leaning on his cane.

When he was done, he could feel the tears prickle in his eyes. He was looking at the picture of Mr. Beepers Madelyn had drawn for him.

"When Donnie said we should grab some personal stuff, I thought I should get something from her for you," Raph explained. "Unfortunately, that's the only picture I could find in the mess that once was your room." He lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"No, no, that's…that's okay, Raph," Leo managed to say while fighting the tears back. "Actually, it's perfectly fine."

He looked up from the picture to smile at his brother. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Raph replied and returned his smile.

"You remember how I thought that the beak was too big on that picture?" Raph continued.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Of course I do."

"Well, carrying it around for a while and looking at it when I had nothing better to do, I have reconsidered that," Raph said.

"Oh?" Leo raised a brow.

"Yeah, well, now that I think of it, maybe she was going for some sort of a cubistic approach, like Picasso, you know."

Leo smirked. "It's amazing how much you know about art movements, Raph," he said.

Raph flinched a little at that. "Well…uhm…I…I just caught a few things here and there, nothing special, just random things."

"Of course." Leo's smirk deepened. "I guess everyone knows about cubistic approaches and Picasso. Even Mikey does, for sure."

Raph squirmed. "Uhm…yeah, I guess so, too, yes. Have to ask him eventually."

It was fun to watch how Raph tried to hide the fact how much he actually was interested in arts. But Leo had to confess, most of the time Raph did an awesome job hiding his interest. Only now and then he showed a glimpse – and did his best to take it back somehow. Like right now.

"Well, you have your picture now, so I'll go back inside and see if I can help Mikey with breakfast or something."

And with that Raph turned around and set into motion.

"You mean, I have my picture of a _cubistic pigeon_ now," Leo called after him, and he could hear Raph groan.

Then Leo looked back at the picture in his hand.

And this time he didn't fight back the tears, but instead let them flow down his cheeks and drop to the ground, only making sure that they didn't touch Madelyn's precious picture.

* * *

Leo kneeled down on the floor of the room he and his brothers used as a bedroom here at the farmhouse. He let his fingers glide over the wooden floor.

Then he took a knife and carefully removed one of the floor panels, placing it next to him.

He reached to his belt and put out a folded piece of paper he had tucked under it.

A small smile appeared on his face as he unfolded the paper. It was Madelyn's picture of Mr. Beepers.

He touched the paper cautiously where the too big beak of the "cubistic" pigeon how Raph had called it was.

He then folded the picture again and put it in the little void the removed floor panel had left.

This idea had come to him this morning, this fateful morning when they had watched the news together and had realized what must be going on in New York, how the Kraang had infiltrated the inhabitants of New York, using the reporter to spread the news that New York was a no-go area.

And then Leo had spotted Madelyn in the news report, standing on the street and crying while there were Kraang droids and robots around her, and it had torn right through his heart.

But he had been able to hide his emotion and concentrate on the task ahead. And this was their return to New York.

But still, the picture of Madelyn crying in the streets had been there all the time, haunting him, the fear about her well-being adding to the fear about his sensei, his father already there in his heart, the fear about Karai. It was almost too much to bear. But he had to keep a straight face. He was the leader, he had to be the anchor of his team, he had to give the others strength.

And that was what he had done, giving orders and making plans for their return.

Now they all were off to pack their stuff. His brothers were already done with their bedroom, so it was Leo's turn.

It was a time of silence, a time of collecting himself, a time of allowing himself to let a little fear surface. He was afraid, very afraid. So many things could go wrong. And what if they didn't make it?

That was why he wanted to leave something behind in the farmhouse, something he could return to if things went totally downhill in New York, something personal. And he couldn't think of anything more personal than Madelyn's picture. If he had to return to the farmhouse because their mission in New York failed, it would remind him of the lovely times he had spent with the little girl, bittersweet memories that could calm him down when needed.

One last look at the folded piece of paper and he put the floor panel back in place. His hand glided over the floor panel once more, the floor panel that now was protecting his little treasure.

He took the knife again and carved an M into the floor panel, only lightly, of course, so that you needed to know what you were looking for to find it. M for Madelyn. M for Mr. Turtle.

He smiled again when he was done.

Before he got up, his hand moved to his one leg, the one that had been injured so badly, the one that had caused him pain for such a long time. He couldn't believe that for the most time, the pain had only been in his head. It had felt so real, so very real! And still, his bones seemed to remember the pain from the injuries, but it didn't hold him back any longer. He knew that there was no real pain, so whatever his body memory came up with, he could ignore it, he could go past it.

He saw a movement from the corner of his eyes and turned his head to find Michelangelo standing in the doorway.

"Leo, we're done with moving our stuff into the party van," he explained.

"Good," Leo said.

"Soooo, we're ready to go whenever you are," Mikey added.

Leo could see the hesitation in his brother's eyes. Either he was afraid himself – well, of course, Mikey was afraid, too; they all were – or he didn't know what Leo had been doing here and if he should have interrupted Leo's alone time. And maybe there was the fear if they even were ready for this, too.

They had learned so much during their vision quest, but there always was the possibility of failure.

That was the moment when Leo jumped back into leader-mode completely. He had to be their tower of strength.

"That's fine, Mikey," he said as he got up. For a moment, he was expecting his leg to hurt again, to give in, for a moment he could almost feel the pain, but it never came for real, and he recovered immediately. Just a remembrance of what his body had endured, nothing real.

"I'm done here," he said. A determined look appeared on his face as he added in a serious voice, "Let's go back to New York."

And for the first time in what felt like an eternity his voice sounded like it really belonged to him again.


	70. Back At Madelyn's Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Mr. Dearing leaves Madelyn behind to look for a safe route out of the city, she starts to get worried.

"So, you know what you have to do?" Joseph Dearing asked his daughter.

Madelyn nodded.

"And what is this?" he asked further.

"Hide in the cabinet under the sink and be really, really quiet until you come back," she replied, her voice all earnest.

"Very good," Mr. Dearing said with a smile as he opened the cabinet.

Madelyn climbed in and Mr. Dearing gave her a blanket and her teddy bear.

"And if you get hungry, there's some food in the fridge. Make sure that it is safe before you get out. And get back as quickly as possible, okay?"

"Okay." Madelyn gave a determined nod and Mr. Dearing closed the cabinet.

"Take care, Daddy!" Madelyn called out before the cabinet was completely shut.

"You too!" he said quickly.

* * *

When he was at the front door of the apartment building, he cautiously opened it and looked outside.

The street looked quiet, except for a cooing pigeon sitting on a nearby tree, and Mr. Dearing couldn't help, but smile, when he realized that it was Mr. Beepers, their pet pigeon.

He had let him out this morning when the pigeon had insisted that he opened the window by pecking at it. So Mr. Dearing had obeyed, hoping that his little friend would be safe.

And safe he was.

Mr. Dearing watched as the pigeon beat its wings and flew up, higher and higher into the air, until he was out of sight.

Mr. Dearing had heard disturbing news on the radio this morning when Madelyn had still been asleep. The aliens had made it closer to their part of the city, so he had to be sure that this still was a safe neighborhood before he and Madelyn tried to get out of the city.

If there still was a way out of the city.

Mr. Dearing wasn't sure about that. There hadn't been any information on the radio, and when there had been too many bad news he had turned it off when Madelyn had woken up. There was no need to scare her.

And once again, he was so proud of how brave she was, how great she was dealing with this situation.

Yes, she was worried about Leonardo, April, and the others, and to be honest, Mr. Dearing was worried, too. He had no idea what had happened to them. And for the hundredth time since yesterday, he wished he hadn't left his phone at work. But on the other hand, who knew if there even was a signal? He had heard people complaining about having no reception on his way back home yesterday. So he maybe couldn't even contact Kirby or April, even if he wanted to.

He took a deep breath and went out on the street, carefully trying to stay close to the buildings and use them as some cover.

He was so focused on his task that he didn't see the Kraangbot sneaking up on him from behind.

And the next thing he knew was that he was showered with some ooze. And then nothing.

It seemed like a blackout. Everything was gone. He had forgotten that he was Joseph Dearing, he had forgotten that he was a single father, he had forgotten that Madelyn even existed.

All that mattered was doing what the voice in his head told him, these ear-piercing screeches that somehow formed into words in his head.

He looked down on his tentacle-like hands, a bit surprised by what he saw, but on the other hand, he had no idea what else he would have expected.

A jolt of energy ran through his body and he found himself on a shiny platform, surrounded by pink-glowing rocks.

 _"_ _Get working!"_ the voice in his head commanded, and he couldn't do anything else, but obey.

* * *

Madelyn was shifting uneasily in her hiding place under the sink. It was dark, it was boring, she was hungry, and she really needed to go to the bathroom.

She exhaled loudly, but almost immediately clasped her hand over her mouth. She was supposed to be quiet.

But still, she didn't think she could wait any longer. She really needed to go to the bathroom. And get some food. And maybe a flashlight. And something to do.

What was taking Daddy so long anyway?

She carefully opened the cabinet's door a little bit and peeked outside.

Daddy had said she could leave the cabinet when it was safe, and the room was quiet, so that meant it was safe, right?

She opened the door a little more and crawled outside. Taking a deep breath, she straightened herself and ran over to the bathroom.

When she was done there, she darted to her room. Maybe she could find something to do there.

Inside, she looked around, and suddenly felt bad. Ruffles McBearington was with her in her hiding place, but all her other toys had to be outside and face the danger. Shouldn't they hide as well?

With a determined nod she started to remove all her clothes from her wardrobe and threw them to the floor. It was just clothes, no matter how beautiful they were, her toys were more important.

But then she found a pink dress, holding it in her hands and looking at it, a small frown wrinkling her forehead. It was the pink dress she had worn at their victory tea party. It made her think of Mr. Turtle, and April, and the others, and she immediately felt tears prickle in her eyes.

But then she fiercely shook her head. No, there was no time to cry now. She had to save her toys, to hide them from these stupid aliens.

But she couldn't throw this dress, this special dress to the floor, so she returned it to the wardrobe. She then walked over to her plushies and dolls, taking an armful of them, brought them over to the wardrobe and stuffed them in there. She did so with her other toys, but at some point, the wardrobe was so crammed, she was sure she couldn't get any more of her toys in there, no matter how hard she tried. She looked back at her other toys. There was still a pile of them there.

Luckily, her wardrobe wasn't the only one in this apartment.

She closed the wardrobe which was really hard – she had to throw herself against the door to finally get it shut –, but she managed. She then picked up her remaining toys and walked to her father's room, performing the same procedure there by throwing her father's clothes to the floor until there was enough room for her toys, stuffing them into the wardrobe and closing it.

She gave a relieved sigh when she was finally done.

But then she heard it, a silent beeping noise. She held her breath.

What was she supposed to do now? She was too far away from the sink. Where should she hide?

Her eyes darted around the room. There had to be something!

She set eyes on the wardrobe, and almost the same moment, she opened the door again, squashing in between her toys and her father's remaining clothes, and quickly closed the door again.

The beeping noise became louder and she didn't dare to breathe.

But then it faded again, and she let out the breath she had been holding in a long sigh.

She waited a little longer, just to be sure, then she crawled out of the wardrobe.

She couldn't get back to the kitchen fast enough, but before she returned to her hiding place, she opened the fridge, quickly grabbing the first piece of food and the first bottle she could reach, and finally returned to her hiding place and her teddy bear.

"Hello, Ruffles McBearington," she whispered. "I'm back. Have you been afraid?"

She touched the teddy bear's head.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said then. "I didn't mean to stay away so long, but I had to hide our friends. You understand, don't you?"

A moment of silence before she spoke up again. "Yes, I thought so. Thanks for your understanding, Ruffles."

She reached for the things she had recovered from the fridge.

"I got us some food and something to drink," she explained, feeling for the food. "It's a sandwich. Let's have a bite, shall we?"

She took a bite and had to fight to not spit it out again. She forced herself to swallow.

"Oh, that's tuna," she said in a disgusted voice. "I hate tuna!"

That moment her stomach growled really, really loudly. She thought about her options. She could get out of here again and find something else to eat or she could eat the tuna sandwich although it really was a challenge. But getting out of this safe place was a challenge as well.

 _What would Mr. Turtle do?_ she asked herself.

Before she could answer her question, she heard this beeping noise coming closer again, and she held her breathe once more, hugging her teddy bear tightly to her chest with her free hand until it went away again.

This was her answer, then. If it wasn't totally safe outside, Mr. Turtle would stay in the safe place, no matter what, and so would she.

She placed Ruffles McBearington next to her and brought the sandwich to her mouth again. She hesitated a little, but her growling stomach made her throw all hesitation overboard. She took a bite, munched on it and swallowed it quickly, really not liking the aftertaste it left in her mouth.

She did so with the next bite too and pretty soon the sandwich was all gone.

The aftertaste was still lingering in her mouth and she quickly took a sip from what turned out to be a bottle of water. The water helped a bit, and although she still didn't like tuna sandwiches, she really liked the feeling of a full tummy.

She shifted a bit to find a more comfortable position and hugged her teddy bear to her chest again.

"You know what, Ruffles?" she whispered into the fur of his head. "It could be worse."

Suddenly she felt really tired, and before long, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

She was awoken by a noise. Still half asleep she tried to place what that noise was. Her eyes shot open when she realized that it was the noise of the doorknob of the front door being turned, and she almost cried out in joy, but just in time, she remembered that she had to be quiet, and kept her mouth shut.

But still, her father was back! This was great!

After a few moments the noise turned into a rattle, becoming louder and louder.

Madelyn's eyes widened in fear.

Her father would just unlock the door, not rattle at it. Whoever was causing this noise had no key. Which meant, whoever was making this noise was not her father.

Madelyn made herself as small as possible in her hiding place and held her breath.

With a loud crack the door was forced open, and Madelyn had to clasp her hands over her mouth to not yelp.

Her heart was racing and she felt like she couldn't really breathe.

She heard some movements, and although she tried really heard, she couldn't hold back a silent whimper as the noises came closer.

She squeezed her eyes shut, reaching for her teddy bear and pressing it to her chest while burying her face in his fur.

Maybe they'd go away again. Maybe her father would come back and save her. Or maybe Mr. Turtle would show up. Or April.

She was trembling, all her thoughts focused on making no noise.

And then she heard it.

"Madelyn?"

It was just a whisper, but she knew that voice.

"Are you here?" another voice asked, and she knew this voice, too.

It wasn't Mr. Turtle or April or one of Mr. Turtle's brothers.

It was Roger and Cindy.

Carefully, Madelyn opened the door of the cabinet and peeked outside, and yes, there they were.

"Cindy? Roger?" Madelyn asked as she opened the door completely and climbed outside. "What are you doing here?"

Cindy turned to her, a small yelp leaving her mouth, as she ran over and pulled Madelyn into an embrace.

"You're okay!" Cindy called out. "Thank God!"

Cindy let go of Madelyn again, and Madelyn saw the tears glistening in the woman's eyes as she looked at her.

"We were looking for you, Madelyn," Cindy said then. "Where's your father?"

"He left to check out the neighborhood," Madelyn explained.

"When did he leave?"

"This morning."

Madelyn could see how Cindy bit down her lip, but then she took a deep breath.

"Madelyn, I know this is hard, but we have to get out of here," she said.

"I can't go without Daddy!" Madelyn protested.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but we can't wait any longer," Cindy said. "The aliens are getting closer, and some of them are already patrolling here. We can't wait. We have to get out of here."

"But Daddy…!"

Madelyn stopped mid-sentence when Cindy shook her head and placed a hand on Madelyn's shoulder.

"Madelyn, I'm really sorry, but we can't wait, and I can't leave you here," she continued.

Madelyn dropped her gaze, tears prickling in her eyes.

"But you can leave your father a message if you want to," Cindy suggested.

"Yes, Madelyn," Roger tuned in. "But it has to be a secret message! We can't let the aliens find out."

Madelyn shifted uneasily until she brought her hand to her face and wiped over her eyes.

When she looked back up at Cindy, her eyes were earnest.

"I have an idea."

* * *

Half an hour later, Cindy, Roger, and Madelyn cautiously left the apartment building, Madelyn holding Roger's hand in her one hand and Ruffles McBearington in her other.

Before they crossed the street, Madelyn quickly looked up to the windows of her apartment.

That moment, a pigeon flew by, and Madelyn could only wonder if it was Mr. Beepers.

But Roger pulled her along before she could make sure.

Again, there were tears prickling in her eyes as she followed Cindy and Roger to what she could only hope was a safe place.


	71. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After saving New York City from the Kraang, Leo leaves his brothers to look for Madelyn.

As soon as his brothers were distracted enough partying with the Mutanimals, Leo made his move. He inched closer to the edge of the rooftop, hoping he would make it there undetected.

Ever since he had seen Mr. Dearing among the people they had unmutated brought back from Dimension X, he just couldn't think of anything else.

Mr. Dearing was fine. But what about Madelyn? Where was she? Was she okay? Did something happen to her? She was just a little girl and if Mr. Dearing had been in Dimension X all this time, did this mean she had been all alone? A little girl alone in this city, alone against the Kraang - he didn't really want to think about it.

He had almost reached the edge of the rooftop when Raph turned his head. He raised a brow for a moment, and then he nodded.

Leo released the breath he had been holding silently. Raph understood. And with Raph on his side he could leave. And so he did. One more step and he was down on the fire escape.

* * *

 

He made his way over the rooftops as fast as he could, and just when he got close to Madelyn's apartment, he peeked down into the streets - and got to a sliding hold.

These two people down there looked so very familiar, and with a smile he climbed down the next fire escape.

"April!" he said out from the side street as soon as they got close enough. "Kirby!"

April's eyes widened for a moment, and then her face lit up.

"Leo!" she said and entered the side street, her father following her. "What are you doing here?"

"I guess the same thing you're doing here," Leo replied nodding his head towards the building where Madelyn's apartment was.

"Yes," April said, biting down her lip. "I just wanted to … check if she's okay."

"Yeah, me too," Leo admitted. "And Mr. Dearing, too."

April nodded.

"Speaking of which," Kirby chimed in, "isn't that Joseph over there?"

Leo and April turned their heads and they saw Mr. Dearing walking down the street towards the building.

Madelyn wasn't with him. This sent a pang to Leo's heart, and when he shot a glance at April he saw that her mouth was pressed into a thin line, a typical sign that something was not quite right.

"Joseph!" Kirby called out, and soon Mr. Dearing joined them in the side street.

"I don't really know what happened," he told them. "I think I was here just a few minutes ago, and then I find myself lying on the floor in some totally different part of the city. I … I just don't get it!"

"Yes, we made a little trip to Dimension X," Kirby said and Mr. Dearing's eyes widened in confusion.

"Dimension X?" he asked.

"Yes, the Kraang, the invasion, you know," Kirby went on. Mr. Dearing's eyes widened a little more.

April rolled her eyes before she placed a hand on her father's arm in an attempt to stop him from any further explanations and took over. She gave a short explanation of what had happened.

When she came to tell Mr. Dearing on how much time had actually passed, he quickly turned his head towards the apartment building.

"Madelyn!" he cried out, turning around and bolting to the building.

April was cut off mid-sentence, her mouth was still open when she turned towards Leo. There was something glistening in her eyes, and it made Leo's chest tighten.

And then April set into motion, grabbing her father's hand and dragging him along as she ran after Mr. Dearing while Leo climbed up the fire escape, choosing a different way to the apartment, the "safe for mutants"-way.

When he reached the window and looked into the apartment, his heart sank. Mr. Dearing had sunken to the floor, hiding his face in his hands. April was kneeling next to him, her hand placed on his shoulder and Kirby was on his other side, saying something.

Leo took a deep breath, trying his best to ignore the ache in his heart, as he knocked on the glass.

April's head shot up and she looked at him. He waved insecurely.

The redhead said something to Mr. Dearing, giving his shoulder a pat before she got up and opened the window for him.

She didn't have to say it, Leo already had a pretty good impression of what was going on, but the words sent another pang to his heart nonetheless.

"She's not here," April said.

Leo pressed his mouth into a thin line and just nodded.

He thought taking a deep breath would make things any easier, but it didn't. He felt bad. If only they had come back earlier, if only he had recovered more quickly, if only…

He never got to finish this thought. April flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.

"It doesn't mean anything," she said, her voice calm and soothing, but Leo didn't miss the light tremble giving away that his friend wasn't as secure as she pretended to be.

He gave into this feeling of her arms around him as he hugged her back.

"I … know," he said, trying to speak around the lump in his throat.

"She could have left, she could have found someone to help her and she stayed with them," April went on with her impression of being calm and collected. "She's a smart girl."

"Yes," Leo agreed. "Yes, she is."

He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning his cheek against April's head, inhaling her scent, and for a moment he just allowed himself to actually believe it. Madelyn was okay.

But when he opened his eyes and let go of April and she let go of him, the illusion was gone.

And then he saw something.

"Heh, what's with all these drawings?" he asked, nodding his head towards the kitchenette. The fronts of all the kitchen cabinets were plastered with pictures, and as he stepped closer, he realized they were pictures of unicorns. Some of them looked like Madelyn had drawn them, some looked a bit different. There were pictures of Raining Cloud Trouble, of Sweetie Smile, of Tallulah Twinkle, of Mille Grazie, and all the other unicorns he knew from the cartoon "Unicornia", but there were Lorenzo and Morning Dew and Aurora, too, the unicorns he, April, and Madelyn had made up for themselves.

And then he saw the note on the fridge.

_Lorenzo knows the answer._

He frowned as he turned towards the others. April was standing next to him, looking at the note.

Tentatively Leo took one of the pictures of Lorenzo. What did his unicorn know? There was nothing on it. Out of instinct he turned the piece of paper around, and there it was, an order of numbers.

"Is that a telephone number?" he asked no one in particular, and suddenly the piece of paper was pried from his hands.

He found Mr. Dearing staring at the numbers with wide eyes. He reached into his pocket, producing his phone, but his mouth twisted when he looked at the black screen.

"Anyone having a working cell around here?" he asked, and April handed him her T-phone.

Quickly, Mr. Dearing dialed the number, holding the phone to his ear.

Leo held his breath, but then Mr. Dearing bit his lip down.

"Unassigned," he said.

Leo turned around.

There were more pictures of Lorenzo and he got them all, checking their back, and yes, they all had telephone numbers on them.

They tried each and every one.

Two more numbers were unassigned, and one led Mr. Dearing to some teleshopping hotline.

When he dialed in the fourth number, Leo didn't get his hopes up. Maybe whoever's number was supposed to be the right one didn't have their phone any longer. Maybe they lost it, maybe it died down, it didn't mean that …

"Cindy, is that you?" Mr. Dearing said all of a sudden, and Leo's head shot into his direction.

"Yes, yes, I would love to!" he said.

And then he said the one word that made all the tension melt away from Leo's body.

"Lynnie!"

* * *

 

Leo would have joined them, but it was too risky. Yes, he could have waited in the party wagon Kirby, Mr. Dearing, and April borrowed to pick up Madelyn, but he wasn't so sure.

From what Mr. Dearing had told them, Madelyn, together with Cindy and Roger, had found a safe place in some industrial area, somewhere underground where the Kraang hadn't been able to track them. And with them were a few dozens of other people. So what if some of them wanted a ride back? What if they didn't care that Kirby told them they couldn't go and opened the back of the party wagon to find him, a mutant turtle, looking far too alien for them, right after their city had been invaded and taken back from an alien race? No, better not to risk it. After all, they didn't know it had been him and his brothers who had brought everything back to normal. Or as normal as things can be after an alien invasion.

So he waited, right there in the living room, sitting on the floor. And he was starting to wonder how long it would take them.

He heard something and turned his attention to the window. There was a pigeon out there, pecking away on the glass as if it were its way of knocking.

With a smile Leo got up to open the window.

"You must be Mr. Beepers," he said warmly as the pigeon flew inside.

"Coo," Mr. Beepers made before he landed on the armrest of the couch.

The door flew open, making Mr. Beepers spread its wings with an annoyed cooing sound and seek sanctuary up on a kitchen unit.

Leo just had time to turn around before some little girl wrapped her arms around his legs.

"Mr. Turtle!" she cried out.

Leo patted her head before he got down to hug her properly.

"Hello, Madelyn," he greeted her.

He felt Madelyn stiffen in his arms, and her hold on him loosened as she leaned back a bit.

"What happened to your voice?" she asked, a frown wrinkling her forehead.

Leo felt a pang in his chest. Yes, his voice sounded different after his throat got injured so badly by Shredder, but after all this time he got used to it. Madelyn, however, had never heard it before. But he couldn't tell her what really had happened. It would be too much for a little girl.

He wrecked his brain for a logical explanation.

"Puberty," he finally said with a smile.

Madelyn's forehead wrinkled a little more. "Huh?"

Leo laughed. "Nothing."

And then he pulled her closer to him. He could see her shrug from the corner of his eye before she hugged him back again.

"Mr. Beepers, is that you?" Leo heard Mr. Dearing ask, followed by a cooing sound as a reply. And then he heard the pigeon take air and land somewhere.

He let go of Madelyn, and the little girl ran over to her father on whose shoulder Mr. Beepers had found a new seat.

"Coo-coo?" she asked.

"Coooooooo," the pigeon replied, and Madelyn laughed, and Leo couldn't help, but smile at this scene.

He looked at April and Kirby. "Did everything go as planned?"

Kirby nodded. "We took Cindy and Roger back with us, but they insisted on going back to their apartment. Some other people joined us, too, and we dropped them off on the way. Really, I felt like some taxi service." He laughed.

"You loved it!" April cut in.

"Yes, yes, I did," Kirby admitted. "Reminded me of my time as a taxi driver back in the day when I had to earn some extra money during college."

April nudged him playfully, then she looked back at Leo.

"So I guess we should go now," she said.

Leo shook his head as he got to his feet. "I have a better idea."

April frowned at him and so did Kirby.

"What do you think of a little celebration?" he asked with a grin.

April and her father shared a look, then nodded.

"Mr. Dearing, Madelyn?" Leo asked.

"Sure, why not?" Mr. Dearing said. "When if not after being rescued after some alien invasion is a better time to celebrate?"

"Good," Leo said. "Mr. Dearing, April, Kirby, you can take the party wagon."

"What about me?" Madelyn asked.

"You?" Leo said with a grin as he knelt down before the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are getting there ninja-style."

* * *

 

"Wooohoooooo!" Madelyn cheered as Leo jumped to another rooftop. She was holding on tightly to his shell, and Leo made sure to not take the really dangerous routes. With a little girl on his back, he didn't want to take a risk. He tightened his grip to hold her in place.

"Now, that's funnier than the usual piggyback ride, isn't it?" he asked, taking another jump, making sure to jump as wide as he could to extend that feeling of flying.

"Yes!" Madelyn cried out. "Yes, it is!"

He thought of the time when he had already carried Madelyn over the rooftop, right after they had rescued her from her kidnappers. But things had been different then. This hadn't been for fun, it had been for getting Madelyn back home as quickly as possible. And he had been poisoned back then. Something he did not want to remember.

He took a little detour just to make this little trip more fun for the both of them, but when they finally reached their destination it somehow still felt too soon.

He landed on the rooftop where his brothers and the Mighty Mutanimals were doing their little celebration.

"I brought a special guest!" Leo announced as he knelt down and let Madelyn climb down from his back.

When he got to his feet again, he looked at Madelyn. The little girl was grinning from ear to ear, her hair tangled in a mess and her cheeks reddened from the excitement.

But then the grin and the excitement died down and her eyes widened in fear. She even took a few steps backwards.

Leo followed her gaze - and wanted to slap himself. He should have told Madelyn right away that Slash would be there. Yes, she knew that he was a good guy now, but she hadn't seen him after the time he and Raph had crashed into her room fighting.

Leo quickly knelt down again, placing a reassuring hand on Madelyn's shoulder.

"Remember," he said, "he's good now."

Madelyn looked at him, then back at Slash. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, holding out her hand to Slash.

"Hello, Mr. Blue," she said. "I'm Madelyn. Nice to meet you!"

Slash looked confused and the question _Who is Mr. Blue?_ was written all over his face.

But before Leo could explain, Raph stepped up to Slash.

"Madelyn gives everyone nicknames," he said. "I'm Mr. Red, Leo's Mr. Turtle, Mikey Mr. Beam, Donnie Dr. Donnie, and you obviously are Mr. Blue now."

Madelyn nodded vigorously.

Slash chuckled warmly before he knelt down and took the little girl's hand carefully.

"Hello there, Madelyn," he said while shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, too."

An hour later, Leo had settled down on the ground. He let his eyes wander over their little party.

A bit further back on the rooftop Kirby, Mr. Dearing, Master Splinter and Kurtzman were drinking tea. Leo could only imagine what they were talking about. Given that there were three single fathers among them it somehow felt logical that this was their main topic. On the other hand, they had just gotten back from some weird adventure including the Kraang, so maybe Kurtzman was telling them of what he knew about the aliens and their ways. Whatever it was, they seemed to be fine.

Up in the air, Pigeon Pete and Mr. Beepers were flying little races. Pigeon Pete insisted on winning all the time, but looking closely, Leo realized it was actually Mr. Beepers who won, and the pigeon usually disagreed with some loud cooing. Pete ignored it, of course, and just went on bragging about his amazing victory.

Mikey was bent over the edge of the rooftop, sick after breakdancing too much with too much pizza in his tummy, and Leatherhead was standing next to him, rubbing his shell.

Raph and Slash were doing their felt - or maybe actual - hundredth round of arm wrestling.

Closest to Leo was the small group of April, Donnie, Casey, Dr. Rockwell, and Madelyn. They were playing Go Fish, and right now, Rockwell and Donnie were going on about the plausibility of Casey not having any sevens, and while they were discussing percentage and probability calculation, Casey was smiling to himself. April carefully leaned in closer and caught a glance of his cards, rolling her eyes as she leaned back again.

Madelyn looked back over her shoulder to Leo and smiled. She said something to April, and the teenage girl nodded. Madelyn placed her cards on the pile and got up.

And then she danced over to Leo. She sat down next to him, and Leo wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Madelyn kept her eyes glued to the ground, looking so serious that Leo was a little bit worried.

"You know, Mr. Turtle," she began, "I never told you that it's okay if you want to call me Maddie." She raised her eyes and looked at him directly. "I mean, I have a nickname for you, so it's only fair if you have one for me, too."

"Thank you," Leo said, rubbing her arm. "I really appreciate it." He paused for a moment, and then he added with a warm smile, "Maddie."

Madelyn smiled back at him.

And then they just sat there, watching the others going on with their celebration.

"I want to call him Dr. Monkey," Madelyn said, nodding towards Dr. Rockwell. "And him" - she pointed at Pigeon Pete - "Mr. Pigeon. And do you think it's okay if I call Mr. Beam's friend Mr. Gator?"

Leo smiled. "I think that's totally fine."

"Okay," Madelyn said, and suddenly her voice sounded so low, and Leo realized that she was leaning into him a little more. He looked at her and saw that she was rubbing her eyes. He grabbed her and placed her on his lap. Madelyn immediately snuggled up to his plastron and closed her eyes.

It's been a long and eventful day for a little girl, Leo figured, so it made perfect sense that pretty soon Madelyn was drifting off to sleep.

"Mr. Turtle," she mumbled, already half asleep. "My Mr. Turtle."

"Maddie," Leo replied. "My Maddie."

And then her calm breathing told him that she had entered her little dreamland.

Leo let his eyes wander over his family and friends once more. Mikey obviously felt well enough now to take Madelyn's place at that Go Fish-group. Leatherhead was sitting next to him, nodding while Mikey explained the rules to him. But something in the alligator's face told Leo that he wasn't quite following which - given Mikey's way of explaining things - probably shouldn't be a surprise.

They were all good now. They had defeated the Kraang, saved New York City, everything was back to normal. Well, as back to normal as life could be for mutants in this world.

Leo felt calm and safe and yes, he even felt at home.

Madelyn snuggled closer to him in her sleep, and Leo smiled down at her.

As long as I have this, he thought, as long as I can be Mr. Turtle to some amazing little girl, everything is going to be fine, right?

There was something in the back of his head, and he didn't like it at all, so he pushed it away again.

"Maddie, my Maddie," he mumbled again, stroking Madelyn's head.

"Mr. Turtle," she replied in her sleep. "My Mr. Turtle."

_Everything is going to be fine._


End file.
